Casino is the best movie ever about gambling. It is a brilliant film that tells the true story of Las Vegas, its dark history with organized crime and the present day opulence and weekend getaways. It is also a movie with lots of action, violence and scumbag characters (Robert De Niro’s character, the way he takes his wife for granted, and his revenge on Ginger is one of the most well-built scumbag plots I have ever seen).
Casino has some of the best acting in a Scorsese movie and is an excellent example of the use of film to convey ideas and emotions. It is not overly violent but contains scenes that are shocking. The torture of a man with a vice, the attempted murder of Joe Pesci’s character and the subsequent car crash are all realistic and disturbing.
There are many tricks casinos use to get you to gamble and keep spending your money. Some are obvious, such as putting tables and machines right in front of you when you walk into the casino and making it hard to go from one area to another without passing more slot machines or card tables. Others are more subtle, such as changing your cash into colorful chips that look like real money and separating you from the reality of the losses you’re incurring.
In addition, casinos serve nonstop booze to lower inhibitions and cloud your judgment. The fact is, if you play long enough, the odds will work against you and you will lose money hand over fist. But that doesn’t stop the people who are willing to risk their hard-earned incomes on a roll of the dice, a spin of the wheel or the draw of the cards.