The twinkly lights, glitzy décor, and joyful sound of slot machines beckon you in to gamble. But before you place your bets, know that casinos are designed to make you lose money. From the layout to the glitzy rewards, every detail is carefully thought out by casino owners to keep you gambling for longer than you planned—and crave coming back even when you are losing money.

In order to manipulate their customers, casinos employ a variety of psychological tricks. For example, they strategically place essential facilities like toilets and restaurants deep within the gaming floor to force players to pass many slots and tables on their way to and from these amenities. This increases the likelihood of spur-of-the-moment decisions to continue playing, which ultimately results in more money lost by the player.

Another tactic is to offer players free meals, drinks, hotel stays, or tickets to events in exchange for their continued spending in the casino. This form of reward is called comping, and it is considered to be one of the most effective casino tactics in encouraging people to stay for extended periods of time. The more you gamble, the more you get rewarded—which gives you a false sense of security that you will win, and encourages you to keep playing.

While Casino is not as polished or as well-rounded as a film like Goodfellas, it still is a riveting story of the mob’s predatory nature, and the way it ensnares even the most respectable families. The performances by De Niro and Sharon Stone are exemplary, and Joe Pesci’s portrayal of a ruthless enforcer is among his best.