Gambling has been a part of human culture for millennia. Evidence of dice games has been found in China dating back to 2300 BC, while wooden blocks used in betting on boardgames have been traced to 500 BC and card games arrived in the 1400s. But the emergence of casinos has transformed gambling from the casual game with a bookie into an immersive experience. These institutions are designed to keep you glued to your seat as long as possible, and they use everything from smell to flashing lights and blaring music to achieve this.
Casino, Martin Scorsese’s epic look at the mob’s relationship with Las Vegas, reveals just how sophisticated the casinos are. Based on the nonfiction book Casino by Nicholas Pileggi, the movie feels like a documentary as it lays bare how corrupted gambling became in this desert oasis. With tendrils reaching into politics, the Teamsters union, the Chicago mafia and beyond, the tangled web of corruption in this city is as fascinating as it is terrifying.
Many of these casinos use free alcohol to their advantage, since booze lowers inhibitions and clouds judgment. The aural assault of music and cheering when someone wins on a machine or a table further distorts judgment, keeping players in a state of manufactured euphoria that prevents them from realizing they’re losing money hand over fist. Casinos also don’t display clocks, as they want you to lose track of time and continue pressing your luck.