Every casino diehard that loves bringing the action to their living room knows the 1995 classic Casino directed by Martin Scorsese and star Robert De Niro. The movie storyline revolves around Mobster Frank Rosenthal whose role is expertly played by De Niro as Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein. The mobster was a well-connected casino owner who had mastered the dark art of manipulating odds and maximizing profits on behalf of the terrifying gangsters he was affiliated with.
Rothstein’s unique talents
Many people who love gambling often start at a young age. Rosenthal, the character represented by Rothstein, spent most of his time at his father’s horse track learning everything he could about racing and of course, gambling. Visit website if you would like to play some interesting online casino games.
Soon, he got interested in gambling in other sports like baseball and football. By the time he was all grown, he was already involved in some serious mob-controlled gambling in Chicago. His success in this area can most likely be attributed to his unique gift in setting the perfect odds for sports betting. He manipulated odds to keep the gamblers interested and convince the sportsbooks that they would still have an edge regardless of the outcome. He was also a stickler for research who got up early to pore through newspapers for all the information he needed to set the odds perfectly.
How he got his first casino management gig
Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein who was a sports handicapper, is sent to run a teamster-funded Casino, the Tangiers Casino on behalf of some Midwest mob families. The rules then governing the issuance of licenses for casino managers were quite lax, which enabled him to run the casino while his license was pending. With his interesting talents, he quickly rose through the ranks to become the Tangiers’ de facto boss. Using his new position, he doubles the casino’s incomes, which are skimmed promptly by the mobs before the tax agencies even have a chance to get some.
When it all started falling apart
The mobsters in charge of the casino were so pleased with Sam’s phenomenal work that they sent his boyhood buddy and murderous enforcer Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Santoro to protect him and the business. However, Nicky has a violent temper that made him a liability to the business; he was blacklisted from the gaming board and every casino. Soon, Nicky pools his own squad and starts running his own unsanctioned operations.
Even more disaster started to unfold when he met his wife Ginger McKenna, a call girl with whom he conceived a daughter, Amy. Unfortunately, a cocaine and alcohol addict, Ginger has some unresolved issues. The relationship developed cracks when Sam and Nicky caught Ginger giving her former boyfriend some cash. In addition to that, Sam found out that Ginger had gone to LA with the boyfriend and that the duo was planning to flee to Europe with Amy. Sam managed to convince her to bring Amy back, which she did.
However, her alcoholism and drug addiction were too much, and he cast her out. He soon allowed her to come back, but on condition that she carries a beeper on which he could contact her at any time. Even worse, she starts an affair with Nicky, and Sam absolutely loses his patience when he discovers that Ginger had tied Amy to her bed so she could have her night with Nicky.
Sam also irks County Commissioner Pat Webb when he fired Webb’s son-in-law Donald Ward and failed to reinstate him. Webb thus pulled Sam’s gaming license and had the state senator and the gaming board to reject his application during the license hearing. Sam, in return, goes public about the alleged ‘corruption’ in the city, but the mobsters he worked for are not pleased with his sudden publicity.
It may be clear that Rothstein (De Niro) would have made for a fantastic legitimate casino manager. He had incredible talent and passion for the game from a young age. However, several severe mistakes on his part and association with the wrong people are eventually what brought him down. Rothstein’s story goes to show just how far the impact of betrayals from the people you trust can go.
