Casino is the first movie that Martin Scorsese made after he had established himself with Goodfellas and Raging Bull. He teamed up with Nicholas Pileggi to adapt his fact-based book and it’s no surprise that the movie is a compelling, riveting crime drama. It lays bare the intricate web of corruption that was centered in Las Vegas with tendrils reaching out to politicians, Teamsters unions and the Chicago mob.

Something about gambling (maybe it’s the presence of large sums of money) seems to encourage people to cheat or steal their way into a jackpot instead of trusting that luck will work its magic. That’s why casinos spend a great deal of time, effort and money on security.

It’s no wonder that a casino is not your best bet for winning big, but it’s still an exciting place to visit. The decor is usually flashy and extravagant, the music is upbeat and there’s plenty of places to eat and drink. In addition, a casino is an incredibly social environment as champagne glasses clink and both tourists and locals mingle.

Another thing that makes a casino an interesting place to visit is the high-tech surveillance systems. Cameras in the ceiling watch every table, window and doorway and can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons by security workers sitting in a room full of banks of monitors. That’s in addition to the eye-in-the-sky view of the entire floor from cameras on top of the building.