Casino Tricks

Casinos are gambling establishments that attract individuals who wager money on games of chance and often offer food, beverages, and entertainment. Some casinos also sell merchandise. Casinos are usually heavily regulated and use sophisticated marketing techniques to lure customers. Today, many casinos waft scented oils through their ventilation systems to make gamblers feel comfortable and create a manufactured euphoria that encourages them to keep gambling. Other common casino tricks include strategically placing amenities like toilets and restaurants within the gaming area so that players must pass by many slot machines and tables to use these facilities, thus increasing the likelihood of making spur-of-the-moment decisions to stay and play one more game.

Another tactic is to program slot machines to produce “near-misses,” which trigger the brain’s reward system and create the feeling that a winning outcome is just around the corner. This keeps gamblers playing longer and increases the chances that they will spend more money than they planned to. Some governments require that casinos inform gamblers of the time to prevent this, but most casinos continue to use this trick to maximize their profits.

Martin Scorsese’s Casino is a riveting story of greed, violence, and corruption set in Las Vegas that makes us feel like voyeurs looking into an exclusive club. Robert De Niro is superb as Sam Rothstein, and Sharon Stone gives a performance that balances her beauty with a depth of character that makes us sympathize with her plight. Joe Pesci adds his usual menace as the mobster Santoro, and the three-hour movie never lags or runs out of steam.