The glitzy lights, flashing music, and buzz of people drinking and mingling create an exhilarating atmosphere that’s as much about socializing as it is about testing your luck with games like poker or roulette. But gambling isn’t about winning or losing; it’s a form of entertainment that helps you unwind and escape from your everyday problems, at least for the duration of your time there.

Casino is a movie about mob corruption and the seedy underworld of organized crime in Las Vegas, starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in a sequel to Goodfellas that Scorsese himself seems to have had mixed feelings about. He’s not shy about showing the violence (including a torture-by-vice sequence that features a popped eyeball and is only slightly censored to avoid an NC-17 rating), but he also doesn’t glorify it or romanticize it.

Besides gaming, casinos have other ways to make their guests feel good, including gourmet restaurants and lounges with drinks and live entertainment. They are also great venues for hosting group events, such as bachelor or bachelorette parties, birthdays, conferences, and family reunions. As such, a casino marketing strategy should include specific messaging and targeting for event and group business.

For many years, marketers focused on demographics alone to determine how and when to target their casino’s marketing efforts. Although this approach can be useful, it’s important to understand the emotional motivations of your audience in addition to their demographic characteristics.