If you’re in a twinkly casino, with its lit windows designed to mimic the daytime sky, and betting chips that look like real money, it might feel like you’re winning big. But that’s not how gambling works in reality. The truth is that most games have built-in advantages that ensure the house will win, and eventually you’ll lose. This is why casinos use everything from computerized chip tracking systems to monitor betting amounts minute by minute, to specialized roulette wheels and dice that are monitored regularly for statistical deviations that might signal the start of a streak.

The fact is, you have a very small chance of beating the odds in any game. But that doesn’t stop people from playing, and casinos have been making money from gambling for millennia. In the earliest forms of gambling (which include rolling dice, playing cards, and horse racing), there was some skill involved, but now most games are purely chance-based. There are some strategies that may improve your chances of winning, but most of them involve a lot of math and very little luck.

The movie Casino is a gripping portrayal of Vegas as it once was, with its opulence and neon signs, but also its deep roots in organized crime. It lays bare an intricate web of corruption centered in Las Vegas, with tendrils that reached into politicians, Teamsters unions, and the Chicago mob. The result is a riveting drama that isn’t about good guys and bad guys, but about human tragedy.