The mathematics of gambling make it incredibly unlikely that you’ll leave a casino with more money in your wallet than you went in with. Even if you have the best poker face and the most sly wits, a few hours at the tables can easily turn into a huge loss. The only way you can walk away with a profit is by putting in a massive amount of work and betting wisely.

Casino, based on the book by Nicholas Pileggi (who also wrote Goodfellas), is an intense documentary-like look at how the mob controlled Las Vegas and how the city turned to crime as a source of revenue. It’s a fascinating story and a real eye-opener.

Although this is a movie about corruption and the ruthlessness of the mob, it’s not one-sided. It also reveals the good sides of casinos. They attract tourists to local cities and towns and they create jobs for people who run hotels and other tourist attractions. The gambling patrons spend money at local businesses as well.

Casino is a great film from Martin Scorsese and is arguably the best performance of Sharon Stone’s career. The movie is three hours long but never lags and doesn’t seem to run out of steam. The editing and narration is superb and the soundtrack adds to the drama. Scorsese is a master at using music and uses it to accentuate emotions and tension in his films. He also has an amazing knack of creating a scene and making it feel authentic.