Everyone loves a good gangster flick, and Casino is no exception. The film follows a mobster’s fall from power and the rise of gambling corporations in Las Vegas, making it an epic history lesson with massive implications for our modern world.

When you walk into a casino, the lights and music are loud and the atmosphere is upbeat. The place has a smell of excitement that can make even the most jaded person take a step back and marvel. There are flashy statues and details, laughter from players around tables, clinking coin noises, and a palpable energy that cannot be ignored.

Something about casinos makes otherwise rational people who work hard for their money and make reasoned financial decisions on a daily basis throw hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars away based on the literal roll of a dice or spin of a wheel. Something about it just seems to encourage people to cheat, steal and lose — and casinos know how to use that to their advantage.

Every aspect of a casino is designed to lead you into spending more and more. It’s why casinos offer booze to all customers for free – it lowers inhibitions and clouds judgement and increases the chances of losing more than you planned to. Casinos are also intentionally designed to be labyrinthine, with no clear pathways from one section to the next and strategically placed games and tables that catch your eye as you wander by.