Casino
A casino is an establishment that offers a wide range of gambling opportunities. These include card games, table games, and slot machines. Some casinos also feature top-notch hotels, spas, and restaurants. Other amenities include live entertainment and a variety of other games. Some of these venues are designed to resemble historical landmarks, while others are glass-and-steel temples of overindulgence. Regardless of their appearance, casinos all aim to create a manufactured state of bliss. Today, most casinos offer scented oils and other smells through their ventilation systems to make their patrons feel comfortable while they gamble. In addition to this, the joyful sounds of slot machines and dazzling lights stimulate the brain and encourage gambling behavior.
The film Casino was directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, who runs the mob-owned Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. The movie centers around Ace, his girlfriend Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), and his friend Nicky Santoro. The tension between these three and the history of crime in Vegas lays bare the city’s past ties to organized crime and its struggle to become more than just a party town.
Casino is a gripping thriller that manages to stay taut until the end. It shows how a small group of mob bosses was able to control the city and its economy, but eventually lost power in the face of bigger corporations with their own gambling empires. The story is well told and, despite being over three hours long, never lags or runs out of steam.