In Casino, director Martin Scorsese depicts the seedy underbelly of gambling and how its addicts often end up. De Niro and Sharon Stone’s performances are the film’s undeniable strengths. But the movie also exposes how casinos are carefully designed to influence visitors’ behavior.
Casinos use a variety of tricks to keep players in the dark about the odds of winning. They may use digital credits instead of cash to create a psychological disconnect between gamblers and their money, which can lead to larger bets. They may also play glitzy background music with a slow rhythm, which research shows makes people gamble longer and more heavily. Some casinos even use smells to evoke particular emotions, such as a bakery or restaurant scent.
Many games in a casino have mathematically determined odds that give the house an advantage over players, known as the “house edge.” These odds help ensure that gamblers will lose money over time. Some games require a degree of skill, but the vast majority of games are purely chance, such as craps, roulette, baccarat, and video poker.
Most of the profits for casinos come from slot machines, which are played by most gamblers. These machines use near-wins to trigger the brain’s reward system, which makes players feel like they’re so close to a win that they can’t stop playing. They’re designed to make players stay at the machine for hours on end, despite their losses. Some casinos even provide personal assistants for high-rollers to encourage them to spend as much as possible.