Gambling can be a fun pastime and can offer an adrenaline rush when you win big. But the seedy backroom gambling parlor stereotype is outdated and casinos today are much more akin to high-end entertainment venues with dazzling lights, blaring music and the opportunity to win money at games like blackjack or slot machines. Yes, crime still happens around casinos but it is rare and security guards are often present to protect customers.
Casino is Martin Scorsese’s most violent movie, but the scenes of violence are believable and not gratuitous. The torture of De Niro’s character with a vice, the car bomb and the murder of Sharon Stone’s Ginger are all shocking but true to life for these mob characters. The film has a compelling story with engaging themes of greed and corruption, yet there are no good guys in this story.
The question of whether casinos decrease unemployment is not easily answered as it depends on the situation of a local area. In some cases, such as when a casino is located in rural areas with lower skilled labor force, it may draw higher-skilled workers from the outside and increase employment in the region. However, if the original population remains unchanged and only the higher-skilled workers move in, then the number of unemployed people in the area will remain the same, even if there are more jobs. The same is true of other types of casino businesses that require specialized skills such as accounting, dealing cards or security.