The word casino is a Spanish word for “house.” Gambling has been part of human culture for millennia. Evidence of dice games in China dates back 2300 BC and the game still played today, blackjack, first appeared in the 1400s. Casinos are businesses that rely on the fact that customers, on average, lose money. They have built-in advantages, called the house edge, that ensure that they will always be ahead of players over the long haul. Casinos employ strategies designed to keep players gambling longer, such as removing clocks from the premises and serving free drinks.

In this film, mobster Sam “Ace” Rothstein (De Niro) tries to run his own casino and woos a stripper/call-girl/hustler/drug dealer/lover named Ginger McKenna (Stone). Meanwhile, mob enforcer Nicky Santoro (Pesci) is sent out to Vegas to protect Ace from his rivals, but ends up running his own rackets and almost succeeding in stealing the casino from him.

The cast in this film is top notch and perhaps the best performance was given by Sharon Stone. Her character of Ginger is a beautiful, smart, and dangerous hustler and she spikes the movie with her energy and sexiness. The director, Martin Scorsese, does not shy pengeluaran hk away from the brutality of mafia life but still manages to make it a compelling watch. This is an epic in every sense of the word that speaks to even those who don’t like mafia films. It is a testament to the power of this film that it has lasted for so long and continues to speak to new generations of viewers.