A casino (or gambling house) is an establishment where people can play a variety of games like slots, poker, blackjack, and more. Usually mixed with other entertainment options, casinos can be found in hotels, resorts, restaurants, cruise ships, and standalone buildings.

Casino is Martin Scorsese’s most violent movie, featuring the torture of a man with a vice, the attempted murder of De Niro using a car bomb, and the death by overdose of Joe Pesci. Yet, it also captures the opulence of Las Vegas and the glamour of being a high roller. It’s one of the few movies to accurately portray what it really is to be a gambler.

While the odds are heavily against you, casinos employ an arsenal of psychological tactics to keep you playing and spending money. Some of them are obvious, but others are sneakier, and can have a significant impact on your gaming experience and wallet.

In order to keep their customers happy, many casinos use scented air and artificial lighting to create a manufactured sense of euphoria. This can cause players to lose track of time, causing them to stay longer and spend more money than they intended.

Another common casino tactic is to remove external cues of time, such as clocks and windows, in the gambling area. This can make hours feel like minutes and increase the likelihood that a player will continue gambling well past what they had originally planned, leading to greater losses and profits for the casino.