Casino tells the story of Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a sharp casino manager in Las Vegas, and his tough enforcer friend Nicky Santoro. The movie shows how their world of glamour, money, and crime falls apart. At the end, everything crumbles because of greed, betrayal, and changing times.
Ace runs the Tangiers Casino for the Chicago mob. He makes it hugely profitable by spotting cheats and keeping things tight. Nicky handles the dirty work, like shaking down thieves and running side rackets. But Nicky gets too wild. He beats people up in public and starts skimming money, which angers the bosses back east. For more on the real events behind this, check out this explanation from https://pelluhue.com/the-ending-of-casino-finally-explained/.
Ace also falls for Ginger, a hustler with a drug problem and a bad ex named Lester. They marry, but Ginger cheats with Lester and steals casino chips to fund her habits. Ace kicks her out, but she keeps causing trouble. The mob gets fed up with all the chaos. They pull Ace from the casino after a car bomb meant for him explodes too early, leaving him burned but alive.
The real breaking point comes for Nicky. He ignores orders and acts like a boss himself. The Chicago Outfit decides he’s out of control. They lure Nicky and his brother Michael to a cornfield in Indiana. There, the mob beats them to death and buries them in a shallow grave. This matches the true story of Tony Spilotro and his brother, as shown in the film. Details on this execution appear in this Telegraph article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/scorsese-casino-goodfellas/.
Ace survives and goes back to Vegas years later. He watches corporate suits take over the casinos. No more mob control. The old days of easy money are gone. Ace lives quietly, regretting how it all went wrong because everyone chased too much power and cash.
Sources
https://pelluhue.com/the-ending-of-casino-finally-explained/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/scorsese-casino-goodfellas/
