A casino is a place where people play games of chance for money. It may have a variety of luxuries to attract customers like restaurants, free drinks, stage shows and dramatic scenery but it mainly offers the ability to gamble on table games, slot machines and poker rooms. Casinos are often the destination for weekend getaways and high-stakes gamblers and are renowned for their flashy decor and opulent accommodations. Casinos are also a common feature in resort cities and offer top-notch hotels, spas and entertainment options.
In modern casinos, lighting is carefully controlled to give the place a daytime look even in the middle of the night. Elaborate surveillance systems have an eye-in-the-sky view of every doorway, window and table that can be focused on to watch for suspicious behavior or cheating. Casinos are also famous for their smell: they use a special mix of scented oils to create the illusion that players are in a glitzy and joyous setting, which keeps them coming back.
Scorsese’s film is uncompromising in its depiction of greed and corruption but there’s a sense of sadness as well. Despite the fact that we know all of these characters are bound to get their comeuppance, it’s hard to turn away. Most of all, it’s hard to forget how much we were rooting for Ace and Nicky – two ruthless hoods who are brought down by their own hubris. Their fall from grace is a sad reminder that no one is immune to the human condition.