Whether you’re interested in gambling your money away on roulette, blackjack or slot machines, casinos are a hub of excitement. It’s a place where champagne glasses clink and locals and tourists mingle, giving the atmosphere an incredible buzz. You’re surrounded by people strutting their stuff, trying to beat the odds and showing off their luck.
But there’s one thing everyone knows going into a casino: You will lose money. The house always wins. And the longer you gamble, the more you’ll lose. This is because the games at a casino are not a random walk, but are structured to ensure the house’s profitability over time. While there are some who have mastered the art of card counting and can make a profit, for the most part, it’s a game of chance and nothing more.
There are a lot of movies that come out about casinos, but most only scratch the surface. They show a glimpse of the opulence and the neon signs or some shots of people playing games like poker and roulette. But Martin Scorsese’s Casino does something different. The movie lays bare the history of Vegas and its ties with organized crime while still showing the opulence of the casino scene and the people coming in to play.
The film is a masterpiece in its own right, with a stellar cast including Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro. But what really sets it apart is that it’s not just a movie about gambling, but a movie about power and corruption. It’s a movie about the clash between old-world gangsters and modern big business.