A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. It may also offer other amenities such as restaurants, hotels and retail shops. Some casinos are designed as standalone buildings, while others are integrated into large resorts or cities. In addition to games of chance, casinos often offer table games like poker, baccarat, roulette, and blackjack, as well as sports betting and video poker. Most games have mathematically determined odds that ensure the house has a constant advantage over the players, which is known as the house edge. Casinos earn money by charging a commission on the bets made by patrons, called a vig or rake. Casinos may also give out complimentary items to gamblers, known as comps.
Due to the large amounts of money handled within a casino, it is common for patrons and staff to attempt to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. To counter this, casinos invest a lot of time and money in security measures. These include cameras that watch every table, change window and doorway, which are adjustable to hone in on suspicious patrons; and sophisticated software to monitor patterns of play and quickly discover any deviation from expected behavior.
Gambling is a popular pastime throughout the world, and casino games are played in nearly every country. Casinos are a major source of income for some governments, and some have even been built as tourist attractions. In the United States, the first legal casinos opened in the early twentieth century, and they were often financed by organized crime. During this period, mafia figures provided funds for Reno and Las Vegas casinos, taking sole or partial ownership of some and exerting considerable influence over casino operations.