Casino is an adult gambling establishment that offers a variety of games of chance and skill. Some of these include craps, roulette, blackjack, video poker and baccarat. In addition to these games, some casinos host tournaments of poker where players compete against one another. The etymology of the word “casino” is unknown, but it is believed to be derived from the Latin casin (“to toss”) or the French chacier (“to whirl”).

The casino industry is characterized by the fact that patrons may be tempted to cheat and steal, either in collusion with other patrons or independently. To discourage this, the casinos employ a variety of security measures. These include a large number of cameras that monitor all areas of the facility and elaborate surveillance systems which allow security personnel to watch each table, window and doorway at once. Many casinos also have catwalks in the ceiling that allow security to look down through one-way glass on the activities at the tables and slot machines.

To make sure that the house always makes a profit, casinos have mathematically determined odds for each game. These odds are known as the house edge and variance. In games of pure chance, like roulette and blackjack, the house edge is uniformly negative; in skill-based games such as poker, the house takes a commission, called the rake, on each hand. Casinos must hire mathematicians and computer programmers to determine these odds and ensure that the games are fair.