A casino is a gambling establishment where people wager on games of chance, or in some cases of skill. While it’s true that luck plays a big part in whether you win or lose, there are a lot of psychological tricks casinos use to keep players coming back for more.

Some of these tricks include the use of bright lights and colors that stimulate the brain and create an exciting atmosphere. Casinos also often feature triumphant music and sounds to create the impression that people are constantly winning. This psychedelic environment can make it difficult to focus on the odds, which can lead to bad decisions.

Another trick is to design slot machines and other games to produce “near wins”—where a player comes tantalizingly close to hitting the jackpot. These near wins trigger the brain’s reward system in a similar way to an actual win and encourage players to play longer, in hopes of getting that big payout.

Finally, casinos will sometimes strategically place bathrooms, restaurants, and cashiers deep within the gaming floor. This requires players to walk past all the tempting slots and tables, which increases the chances that they’ll decide to stay for just one more spin.

In the end, Casino is a compelling story of greed and corruption. But it’s a movie that’s impossible to watch without feeling a little bit sorry for some of the characters. It helps that Scorcese tells the story with such energy and pacing, and that he’s so skilled at creating small moments—like when Ace orders the casino cooks to put exactly the same amount of blueberries in every muffin or when airborne feds spy on the hoods from a plane that’s circling above a golf course.