A casino is a place that offers a variety of games where gambling is the primary activity. Some casinos add a number of luxuries to attract players such as restaurants, free drinks, and stage shows. But even less lavish places that host gambling activities can be called casinos.

Unlike Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls or a more recent film like Paul Giamatti’s American Sniper, Martin Scorsese’s Casino is a movie about Las Vegas that is more than just a fantasy of partying and weekend getaways. It lays bare the city’s past connections to organized crime and the role it played in minting millions of dollars in gambling profits for huge corporations.

The three-hour film doesn’t lag and is kept on a tight leash with masterful editing, making it one of the most compelling thrillers of all time. The acting is superb, but Robert De Niro’s performance as Ace Rothstein stands out. Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci are also great, especially the latter as Santoro, a menacing character who’s almost impossible to root for.

Casino also does a good job of showing how a casino affects its local economy. A city that’s home to a major casino generates substantial tax revenues, which help local politicians finance other projects and avoid spending cuts or higher taxes in other areas. Many casinos also provide jobs to people living in the surrounding area, which can improve their quality of life. In addition to this, some casinos offer a wide range of payment methods to make it easier for players from different countries to deposit and withdraw their winnings.