A casino is an establishment that offers various types of gambling. It may also offer food and beverage services, as well as meeting and banquet facilities. The term can also refer to a company that owns and operates such a facility. The word is an Italian diminutive of casin, meaning little castle. The casino industry is regulated in most countries. Casinos are often located in or near hotels. They are able to attract customers by offering comps, such as free rooms or meals. This type of marketing is known as a sunk cost fallacy, where people follow a bad bet with a bigger one, believing that the sunk costs (such as money lost on previous bets) will be offset by future profits.

Martin Scorsese has a unique style of filmmaking, and Casino is no exception. It is paced like an epic crime drama and has many of the same elements as a documentary. The story is incredibly detailed, focusing on the mob’s control of Las Vegas with tendrils reaching to politicians, Teamsters unions, the Chicago mafia and even the midwest mafia based in Kansas City. It is a tale of power, greed and corruption that is captivating from start to finish.

Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone both deliver stellar performances in Casino. However, it is Joe Pesci who holds the movie together with his portrayal of a criminal with a temper that far exceeds his short frame. The film is three hours long but never lags or runs out of steam. The editing is taut and the music is perfect for the tone of the movie.