A casino is any place where a variety of games of chance are played and gambling is the primary activity. Although casinos often add many luxuries to their facilities like restaurants, stage shows and dramatic scenery to attract players, there have been less extravagant places that house gambling activities.
The main reason people lose so much money is because they make irrational decisions based on the roll of the dice or the spin of the roulette wheel. The house always wins. Casinos capitalize on this weakness by offering patrons free drinks, food, hotel rooms, show tickets and even airline tickets if they play for long enough and spend enough money. These “comps” are designed to get players to keep playing rather than leaving the casino for basic needs such as rest or food.
Another way that casinos manipulate gamblers is by promoting heavy drinking. Booze lowers inhibitions and clouds judgment. This is why you will find a large selection of alcohol on the casino floor, served nonstop from the bar to the card tables or slot machines. Casinos also encourage booze consumption by making their floors as labyrinthine as possible with no straight aisles from one section to the next. This confuses and disorients patrons and makes them more likely to make irrational decisions.
Casino is a great movie that focuses on the rise and fall of mafia-linked casinos in Vegas. Scorsese manages to convey a sense of nostalgia for the mob’s glory days without losing sight of the reality that these characters were hoodlums and criminals. De Niro and Pesci are terrific as Ace and Nicky, with Sharon Stone adding a potent female element to the mix with her portrayal of Ginger McKenna.