Casino is a riveting and entertaining look at the darker side of Vegas. Martin Scorsese does a masterful job of showing the seedy underbelly and the sanitization of Sin City in the 1980s. This movie shows the inner workings of a gambling empire and how mob control was slowly pulled away from the desert city.
While shopping centers, hotels and musical shows help attract customers to casinos, the billions of dollars in profits raked in by American casinos each year are mostly generated from gambling games like blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, and slot machines. But there is something about the casinos that encourages cheating, stealing and other forms of dishonest behavior. Something about the noise, lights and glitz make people feel like they’re in a secluded world away from reality where they can get away with anything.
The best way to ensure your casino has a solid reputation is through consistent quick payouts and exceptional customer service. A strong reputation will also help your casino attract event and group business.
Robert De Niro once again delivers a compelling performance as Ace, the dangerous hothead who runs a mobbed-up casino, stymied by his own impetuous nature and undercut by a hotheaded friend (Joe Pesci) and an ambitious woman (Sharon Stone). But it’s Sharon Stone who steals the show with a scene-stealing turn as blonde hustler Ginger McKenna. It’s a shame that the Academy Awards didn’t give her an Oscar for this performance.