Whether you’re in the mood for blackjack or roulette, a casino is the perfect place to let loose and try your hand at luck. It’s a buzzing environment where champagne glasses clink and both locals and tourists mingle. The music is upbeat, the lighting is flashy and extravagant, and the smell of fresh food wafts through the air. But beneath the surface, casinos are a little more complicated than they seem. Many casinos have hidden edges, which are designed to slowly bleed gamblers of their money.

Beneath the twinkling lights and upbeat music, casinos are engineered to manipulate the psychology of their guests. The sound of a slot machine’s spin or the thump of the dice in the craps table is designed to create a false sense of euphoria, keeping gamblers in the game and coming back for more. This euphoria is compounded by the dazzling lights that surround the tables and machines and the cheers of other winners. Casinos even use the scent of scented oils to keep their patrons feeling good.

The reality, as depicted in the epic crime drama Casino, is much more sinister. Beneath the veneer of free cocktails and brightly lit gaming machines, casinos are built on a bedrock of mathematics. They are designed to bleed their customers of their hard-earned cash, and mathematically inclined minds have tried to turn the tables for years by using their knowledge of probability and game theory. In the end, though, the odds are always against you.

Despite the shady characters and overly dramatic storyline, Casino is a riveting film that is well worth watching. The acting is excellent from a number of key players, especially Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone. De Niro is a menacing presence as the sleazy mobster Frank Martin and Stone is flawless in her portrayal of the blonde hustler Ginger McKenna. The movie runs a bit long at three hours, but director Martin Scorsese keeps the tension high and the story moving at a fast pace.

With the right marketing strategy, a casino can evolve from a middle-of-the-pack competitor to an industry leader. From events and group business to restaurant and hotel offerings, there are a variety of unique and effective ways to grow your casino’s revenue. This blog post explores a few tried and true casino marketing strategies that are guaranteed to boost your bottom line in the short term and the long run.