A casino is a place where people gamble and play various games. It is also a social hub where people can meet and interact with one another. Moreover, playing various casino games on a regular basis can have health benefits. For example, the mental stimulation involved in winning casino games can keep your brain healthy and improve memory. It can even reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Besides, playing casino games can also help you stay in shape by keeping you mentally alert.
It’s happened to all of us: You stride into the Luxor or Mohegan Sun brimming with confidence and wallet filled with cash, and plan on a few hours of enjoyable, sensible gaming and a few rounds of drinks. But hours later you have no idea what time it is, how many drinks you’ve had or where your money went. Casinos are designed to distract you from the passing of time, using lights, sounds and physical design to create an immersive experience that’s hard to step away from.
Unlike Goodfellas or Mean Streets, Scorsese is less concerned with character and more focused on showing how the mafia lost control of Vegas and was swallowed whole by the machine. But that doesn’t make Casino any less compelling. Its lean, taut pacing and trove of fascinating themes—like Ace ordering the casino cooks to put “exactly the same amount of blueberries in every muffin,” or airborne feds getting critical evidence because a low-level hood kept meticulous records of his expenses—are compelling enough to keep you engaged for three hours.
