A casino, or gaming establishment, is a building or room where people can wager money on various games of chance. The games played in casinos can be simple games of chance, such as roulette or craps, or complex games involving skill, such as poker and blackjack. Casinos earn billions of dollars each year for their owners, investors, and Native American tribes. They also contribute to local economic development through taxes and jobs.

Gambling in its many forms has been around for thousands of years. From the time of the Mesopotamian city-states, through ancient Rome and medieval Europe, to Napoleon’s France and Elizabethan England, gambling has been a part of human culture. While the precise origin of gambling is unknown, it is clear that humans have a natural desire to win.

In modern times, the casino industry has been expanding rapidly. Casinos have become very common in European cities and towns, particularly since the second half of the 20th century. They have also gained a foothold in the United States, where state laws allowing them to open have been adopted and they are found on Native American reservations that are exempt from most states’ antigambling laws.

Because of the enormous amounts of money that are handled within casinos, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. For this reason, most casinos have extensive security measures in place. These include a physical security force that patrols the floors and a specialized surveillance department. In addition, casinos employ catwalks in the ceiling to allow security personnel to look down, through one-way glass, on activities at table games and slot machines.