The Casino Experience
After the box office success of Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese’s Casino was a natural sequel. The movie is about a world of criminality, corruption and violence centered on a Vegas casino—with tendrils that reach into politics, Teamsters unions, and mob factions in Chicago and Kansas City. But unlike other epic crime dramas, Casino is a film about human tragedy as well as betrayal and murder. There are no real heroes or heroines here, only corrupt and avaricious characters who ultimately get their comeuppance.
Casinos are places of escapism and entertainment, where gamblers can lose money or win big. They have high-end restaurants, lavish hotel rooms and other amenities for their patrons. Guests can also use credit cards to “load” money onto the casino’s machines and dissociate their gambling from spending real cash. However, casinos make a lot of money off their patrons through a system of house edge, rake and other fees.
The first thing you see when you walk into a casino is a row of gaming tables and machines. This is deliberate, because the people who manage casinos want you to spend as much time as possible gambling, rather than walking to a bathroom or exiting the premises. The rooms are also designed to distract you from the fact that you are losing money, with curving paths and strategically placed gaming sections tempting you to play a few rounds of poker or roulette instead of heading for the door. Casinos also offer free food and a place to stay if you spend enough, creating the illusion that you don’t need to leave to meet your basic needs.
As for security, casinos are heavily fortified with cameras and other technological measures to prevent cheating. Some even employ a special technology that allows them to track every betting chip on the tables, minute-by-minute, and alert them to any statistical deviation from expected results; in addition, many games are computerized and the odds of winning or losing are clearly displayed to the players.
Casinos are a polarizing place for some, but they do offer a chance to bet on your luck and perhaps walk away with some money in your pocket. If you’re looking for a thrilling gambling experience, check out our list of the best casinos in the world and plan your next trip to Sin City!
