Whether it’s slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps or video poker, a casino is a place where people play games of chance. It’s also a place that’s designed to make money, and if you have a strategy you can improve your chances of winning.

A successful casino can make a lot of money, but like other businesses it’s very competitive. Many casinos lose money and some go out of business. There are other challenges as well, including competition from non-gambling resorts and online gambling, as well as an illegal gambling market that’s much larger than the legal one.

Director Martin Scorsese dials up the gangster life of Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro) and his mob-connected best friend from back east, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci). The movie is violent, but the violence isn’t gratuitous. It’s real and it’s honest, and it serves the purpose of showing how fucked up that kind of lifestyle is.