It’s happened to all of us: You stride into the glitzy interior of a casino, wallet full of cash and plans for enjoyable, sensible gambling and two rounds of drinks. Hours later, you’re completely lost and wondering what happened to your money. It’s a trick casinos use to keep you gambling, and it has everything to do with lights, sounds and design.
Every aspect of a casino is designed to entice you to gamble and crave coming back, even though the house always wins in the end. From dazzling lighting and opulent decor to enticing rewards programs that see you earn points for every dollar you play, casinos put the sunk cost fallacy on full display. You’ll feel compelled to continue spending in order to rack up those points, which you can then use to get something for free, such as a meal.
Casino stars Robert De Niro as Ace Rothstein, a savvy bookie who takes over one of Vegas’ top casinos. He’s tough, but he’s also fairly honest for a mobster and has the loyalty of a number of high-ranking mafiosi. He’s partnered with loose-cannon Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), who is less disciplined and lets his anger dictate most of his decisions.
While this film is not as violent as some of Scorsese’s other epic crime dramas, it still shows the darker side of the mob world. It’s not just about the extortion and murder, but the way it spreads through an entire city and touches a wide variety of different people, including politicians, Teamsters union leaders, and members of the Midwest mafia.