Casino, director Martin Scorsese’s epic take on the Mob in Vegas, is like Goodfellas dialled up to 11. It’s a drama about power and corruption that sees mobster Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro) funnel money out through the front door of the Tangiers hotel he all but runs for mob elders back East. It’s what he calls a morality car wash, and the movie is littered with back-and-forth narration dumps between Ace and his muscle man, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci).
The casino setting is visually stimulating with bright colours and flashing lights that create an atmosphere of excitement and energy. This is designed to make players feel the thrill of a win and encourage them to play longer. This is known as the sunk cost fallacy, where a player will continue to play in the hopes that they’ll win, even though the odds are against them. Casinos often take advantage of this psychological trick by rewarding loyal players with free meals, drinks, rooms, and events.
Casinos are also famous for their lack of clocks and windows, which is designed to keep players from realising that it’s time to leave. They also use lighting to manipulate the perception of time and even have their floors painted in light colours that mimic daytime skys, making it difficult for players to judge how long they’ve been playing. Combined with the sunk cost fallacy, this can be a highly effective strategy to get players staying and spending more money.