Casinos are places where champagne glasses clink, people cheer and celebrate, and an upbeat soundtrack keeps the energy high. Even if you’re not a gambler, it’s hard to resist the buzz of casinos – and that’s why they’re so popular. People love to try their luck in a variety of games, from poker to roulette to video poker, and they feel an adrenaline rush when they win. There’s no telling when the next spin of a wheel or card will reveal your fortune, and that sense of anticipation is what draws people to casinos.

A casino’s mathematical expectancy of winning (its mathematical edge over the player) is so high that it is very rare for a patron to lose money on a single visit, even if they spend all day playing at the tables or slots. That’s why casinos offer players comps – free hotel rooms, dinners, show tickets, limo service and airline tickets. It’s important to keep in mind that these are perks that only the best and most loyal casino players will receive, but they can be extremely lucrative.

Sharon Stone was a revelation as the blonde hustler Ginger McKenna in Casino, and De Niro is his usual brilliant self. But it’s Joe Pesci as a vicious mobster that makes the movie really pop, with his character seeming larger than life and making it impossible to root for anyone else in the story of betrayal and greed.