Several agents arrive to back Bond up: Mathis, a French spy Felix Leiter, an American CIA agent and Vesper Lynd, a British female spy. Since Bond is the best gambler in MI6, M wants him to beat Le Chiffre at baccarat to strike a blow against Soviet finances. He is at the casino because he has decided to win back the money through gambling. Le Chiffre is in dire financial straits because he has spent money entrusted to him by the Soviets. However, soon after, Bond’s superior, M, gives him a classified dossier on Le Chiffre. Gambling in the French town of Royale-les-Eaux, James Bond recognizes the master thief Le Chiffre in the casino, but after observing the layout of building, decides that it is too heavily guarded for Le Chiffre to attempt a heist there.

It also addresses Britain’s position in the intelligence world during the Cold War. As the first novel in the series, Casino Royale traces the main character’s evolution into a committed and dedicated spy. Fleming was a former naval intelligence officer and drew on real events he saw during his career. Published in 1953, it was followed by eleven more James Bond novels and more than thirty films. Casino Royale is the first novel in the James Bond series by Ian Fleming.