A casino is a public place that offers a variety of games of chance and gambling is the primary activity. It may also offer other amenities like restaurants, shops and entertainment shows. However, the vast majority of casino profits come from gambling activities and it is these that drive the billions raked in by casinos each year.

While the dazzling lights, free drinks and stage shows are attractive to many casino visitors, it is gambling that brings them back again and again. Some gamblers are “high rollers,” spending large amounts of money on their favorite slot machines or tables. These players earn casino comps (free hotel rooms, dinners and tickets to shows) that make them feel special. Others are “slow bleeders,” playing for only small amounts but over a long period of time. These gamblers are tracked by the casino and offered comps for their loyalty.

Beneath the veneer of flashing lights and jubilant music, casinos are engineered to slowly bleed their patrons for their own financial gain. For decades, mathematically inclined people have used their knowledge of probability and game theory to try to beat the system.

While many gangster films gloss over the dark side of casino ownership and gambling, Martin Scorsese’s Casino does not shy away from it. From the car bomb that ends the movie to the lingering murder of Joe Pesci’s character, it is a riveting and violent story. But it also lays bare how the mob lost control of Vegas to huge gambling corporations that have now surpassed it in size and scope.