The world’s top casinos offer everything from luxury hotel rooms and VIP suites to state-of-the-art gaming machines and exclusive entertainment. But it’s the overall experience that sets them apart. From live entertainment to a wide variety of table and slot games, these venues are designed to make gamblers feel like royalty.

Casino, a Martin Scorsese film based on the book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, is a riveting crime drama that shows the seedier side of Las Vegas gambling. While most movies only scratch the surface of the opulence and neon lights of Sin City, this one explores the dark underbelly of organized crime in all its ugly glory.

Most people who play casino games are not the high rollers that you might expect. According to a 2005 study by Roper Reports GfK NOP and the U.S. Gaming Panel by TNS, the typical casino gambler was a forty-six year old woman from a household with an above average income. These gamblers often receive comps worth thousands of dollars in the form of free shows, hotel rooms, limousine service and airline tickets.

To put their clients at ease, casinos use various psychological methods. For example, they choose colors that stimulate and cheer up the eye, such as red. The color of the rugs, wall coverings and machine faces are all carefully chosen to evoke an appropriate mood. They also avoid placing clocks on their walls, because they are believed to distract gamblers and cause them to lose track of time.