The casino is a place that makes its money by encouraging gamblers to spend their hard-earned money on the chance of winning. But it’s also a place that needs to make sure its visitors enjoy themselves and are happy with their experience. Casinos do this by creating an atmosphere that is built around noise, lights, and excitement.
Gambling has been around for thousands of years in one form or another. But it was only when Nevada legalized gambling that large casinos became popular, first in Vegas and then Atlantic City. But these casinos have not been limited to these locations and as states legalize gambling, the casino industry continues to expand.
In the early 1990s, casinos made huge investments in security. They installed sophisticated cameras, used “chip tracking” to monitor betting chips minute-by-minute and warn staff of any discrepancies, and electronic monitoring systems that check the results of roulette wheels. These systems helped to stop many cheating and stealing schemes.
But no matter how much a casino invests in security, there will always be some people who try to rip off the house. That’s why casinos need to be choosy about which gamblers they accept. They reward their most loyal customers with comps (free goods or services) like free hotel rooms, restaurant meals, tickets to shows and even limo service and airline tickets. The more a gambler spends at the casino, the better their comps will be.
With all its violence and treachery, Casino is an epic story of greed and corruption that manages to remain compelling throughout its three-hour runtime. The performances of De Niro and Sharon Stone are exceptional, while Joe Pesci provides a welcome dose of menace as Santoro.