As a filmmaker, Martin Scorcese is as great as it gets. His work is so intense that he demands the best from his cast and crew. This is evident in Casino, his depiction of the Sicilian Mafia and its gradual descent into hell.
The film opens with a car bombing and the figure of Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro) floating through the air. The rest of the movie plays like a documentary, with narration and scenes filmed in pseudo-documentarian style. This approach helps to make the story feel real. Nicholas Pileggi’s book, upon which the movie is based, was written with full access to a man who ran four casinos for the mob and his story informs the whole of Casino.
In the casino, lighting is low and warm, similar to a cozy living room, and music is often playing to further sooth players. Many casinos also offer free drinks to their patrons, as they know that alcohol impairs judgement and makes people more likely to take risks or continue gambling even when they are losing. This technique is one of the most effective for increasing profits in a casino.
Another trick casinos use is to manipulate their patrons with false lucky breaks. This is accomplished through the use of slot machines and other games that are designed to produce “near wins” — two matching symbols on a slot machine, for example, or the third symbol that is just one step away. While these lucky breaks may seem insignificant at the time, they add up over long periods of play and are a major source of profitability for the casino.