Casinos offer a combination of entertainment, social interaction and a chance to win big money, all in one place. They also have a strong economic impact on their surrounding communities, providing jobs and stimulating tourism. However, many people end up losing more than they win in casinos and even go into debt as a result of their gambling habit. There are ways to help prevent this from happening by understanding how casinos work and what makes them so addictive.

Whenever you enter a casino, it’s designed to make it hard for you to walk away. Curving paths entice you to try a new game or even just a spin on the roulette wheel. The glitzy lights and joyful music can induce a sense of manufactured bliss that’s intended to keep you playing. And when another gambler rakes in the chips on a machine, loud cheers break out. These celebrations can trigger the “sunk cost fallacy,” in which you feel the need to continue betting in order not to waste all the money you’ve already invested in the game.

At nearly three hours, Casino is one of Martin Scorsese’s longest movies. But it never lags, and its frenzied energy is partly due to Stone’s performance. She exudes a heartless, bitchy toughness—not as blatantly ruthless as the characters in Goodfellas or Boogie Nights but still guided by a demagnitized moral compass.