Casino, the 1995 Oscar-winning crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese, has been called “a civic portrait scribbled in neon.” While other movies that have captured Las Vegas—including Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct and Eugene Levy’s Showgirls—focus on partying, drinking and gambling, Scorsese digs deeper into Sin City’s roots to reveal its history of corruption. He does so by focusing on characters mired in violence, treachery, and avarice. With a cast led by Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone, the movie is unflinchingly honest and hard to watch at times.
Gambling is not for the faint of heart, but it’s not as easy to walk away from as one might think. Many casinos employ tricks designed to keep players betting more and more money. They use lights, sounds, and physical design to make it difficult for a gambler to step out of a game. They even use tactics such as the sunk cost fallacy, where a person continues to play because they’ve already spent so much money.
Another way casinos encourage more spending is by serving alcohol. Booze lowers inhibitions and clouds judgment. It can also be a great escape, so it’s no surprise that people with an addiction to gambling might visit a casino regularly just to get lost in the moment.