After the success of Goodfellas, Universal was eager to back another mob movie from director Martin Scorsese. He had to wait until the right project presented itself, but when it did–the Casino, adapted from Nicholas Pileggi’s mafia novel and featuring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in a follow-up to their collaborations in Raging Bull and Goodfellas–Casino looked like a monster hit.

It’s not up to the level of Scorsese’s best work, but Casino is a brilliant film. The camera moves and angles and framing so smoothly that the movie streaks across the screen, never halting for even a split second. And while the story may be a bit of a jumble, it’s still gripping, especially when it’s accompanied by a thumping soundtrack.

Casino is also fascinating as a study in how casinos manipulate patrons. In addition to a slew of security measures, they use a variety of psychological tricks to get people to spend more money than they planned. For example, slots and other games are carefully designed to produce “near wins,” making players feel like a big payout is just around the corner, motivating them to keep playing.

Casino also shows that casinos aren’t charitable organizations giving away free money. They’re businesses with built-in advantages that ensure they will win in the long run, even when players lose on any given play. This explains why they always seem to have more than enough room for a winner, and why they give large bettors extravagant inducements.