It’s happened to all of us — we stride into the Luxor, Mohegan Sun or Tropicana, brimming with confidence and a wallet full of cash. We plan to spend an hour or two enjoying some enjoyable, sensible gaming and a few rounds of cocktails. But then the next thing you know it’s hours later and you’re not quite sure what time or day it is, nor how much money has disappeared from your bankroll.

A casino’s opulent environment, champagne glasses clinking, and the sound of slot machines ringing creates a feeling that is intoxicating. The sense of excitement is heightened by being surrounded by like-minded people who are all there to have a good time and are willing to put their money on the line in the hope of winning.

The physical design of casinos is carefully planned to induce a sense of euphoria. For example, the scent of scented oils wafts through ventilation systems, and slot machines are designed to “nudge” gamblers by using near-misses to keep them playing. This manufactured blissful experience – coupled with the virtual assurance of gross profit — is what keeps people coming back to gamble.

Although Casino is a movie about gambling, it’s also about human greed and corruption. It depicts a world of treachery and violence that has no room for heroes or heroines, yet it’s impossible to watch without being moved by the characters’ plight. It’s a film of epic scale and scope, with tendrils reaching from the local Teamsters union, politicians, Chicago mob and Midwest mafia, to the seedy underbelly of Vegas.