Gambling involves risking real money for the chance of a huge payout. Unlike other casino games, which allow players to win small amounts with skill, most gambling activities are strictly luck-based and rely on the chance of winning or losing big. However, there are a few tricks that casinos use to increase the chances of winning for their patrons. One of these is the use of chips, which disassociate the gambler from real cash. Many casinos offer players the option of changing their cash into chips, which make it easier to bet large sums, and allows them to withdraw their chips when they want to stop gambling.
In addition, most casinos use bright flashing lights and blaring music to entice players to play. These sensory cues create a false sense of possibility, and encourage players to keep pressing their chips despite the odds of losing them. The casino makes money by allowing players to place bets on a number of different events. These include table games like blackjack and roulette, as well as slot machines and poker. The casino also pays a percentage of the total amount wagered to the winners, known as the “rake.”
The film focuses on Sam “Ace” Rothstein (De Niro), a Jewish American expert handicapper who is hired by the mob to run its Tangiers casino in Las Vegas. He is partnered with streetwise chip hustler Ginger McKenna (Stone), who marries him. The movie follows their struggles in the gambling industry, as well as the mob’s involvement with them and the gradual erosion of their relationships and standing.
While Goodfellas focused on the blue-collar gangsters of NYC, Casino is a much more macro view of the mob’s power and influence over the city of Las Vegas. It lays bare the intricate web of corruption that was centered in the gambling capital of America and touched the Teamsters union, the Chicago mob, and politicians, among other things.
Casino is a brilliant and entertaining film, and a classic example of how Martin Scorsese uses a richly detailed narrative to convey deeper ideas about the human condition. It is a film that will stand the test of time, and it demonstrates once again why Scorsese is considered one of the greatest directors of all time.
While it may not be as compelling or engaging as some of Scorsese’s other works, Casino is still a terrific movie. It has the energy and pacing that are trademarks of the director’s style, as well as the attention to detail that made him famous. The movie is full of great moments, such as when Ace orders the hotel cooks to put “exactly the same amount of blueberries in every muffin.” It’s a great piece of cinema, and well worth watching.