In a casino, players insert their currency and spin a wheel of fortune. They can also play video poker, which is the only game where players have some degree of skill. All other casino games are pure chance, which is why the industry refers to them as “games of chance.”
There’s something about casinos that makes people cheat and steal, maybe it’s the allure of millions of dollars or the fact that you don’t have to be very good at math to know that most casino games are designed to make the house money. In a real casino, there are security personnel to make sure that only legitimate customers enter and play. There are also strict rules and regulations to keep gambling honest and fair for everyone.
In Casino, Robert De Niro plays Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a casino operator with a code of honor that seems at odds with his status as Las Vegas’s kingpin. Despite his tender rhetoric about love and trust, Ace is a heartless son of a bitch with a demagnetized moral compass.
A movie about organized crime and the origins of casino gaming in Las Vegas, Casino is a sprawling, epic tale with no good guys and plenty of bad ones. But despite its lengthy run time, it never feels bloated or overblown and stays a lean, mean thriller throughout. It’s one of Scorsese’s best films and is a must-see for any fan of film or history.