Casino is a 1995 film about crime, gambling and sleaze in Las Vegas. It’s a classic, well made movie with great performances from Robert De Niro and Nicky Aguilar. It also captures a specific time in history, showing how Sin City was before it became a family friendly Disneyland. It’s a must see for any serious film fan.
Despite the glitzy hotels, shopping centers, musical shows and lighted fountains that lure people into casinos, the vast majority of their profits (and fun for their owners) come from gambling games like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and craps. But these games of chance aren’t as magical as they may seem, and there’s a dark side to the business that’s often overlooked by would-be gamblers.
The most obvious part of this dark side is the house edge, the mathematical advantage built into the odds for every game that a casino offers. As the math works against them, gamblers usually walk away from a casino with less money than they came in with. And the longer they play, the worse their losses will be.
There are other hidden costs to casino gambling, too, such as the shady business practices that give it its notorious reputation. Casinos aren’t exactly charitable organizations, and they profit from the fact that gamblers don’t know or understand the math behind the games they’re playing. In addition, casinos offer comps—free goods and services—to “good” players, including hotel rooms, dinners, tickets to shows and even limo service and airline tickets.
