There is something intoxicating about a casino floor – the smell of fresh carpet, the flashing lights, the free drinks and comps. The reason casinos can do this is that they understand human psychology, and know how to use it to keep people in the building – playing all night long.

A gangster movie without the pizzazz of Goodfellas, Casino offers an eye-opening view into a world that most people don’t really want to see. Robert De Niro gives another masterful performance and Sharon Stone steals the show as a femme fatale that most men would love to tame.

The movie takes its audience on a journey through the rise and fall of Sam “Ace” Rothstein, who runs four Las Vegas casinos for the mafia. It is a fascinating story, and Martin Scorsese knows the subject well. He’s based the film on a book by Nicholas Pileggi, who was granted full access to a man who ran casinos for the mob and told his true story.

The movie also takes its audience behind the scenes of a casino, and reveals the methods that casinos employ to get people in and keep them gambling all day and all night long. It is a fascinating look at the business of gambling, and how it is used as a way to manipulate people’s financial decisions. There are many other ways to enrich oneself besides gambling, such as exercising regularly, practicing mindfulness or meditation and spending time with friends and family.