Casino - Characters & Cast

Ace is motivated by a desire for perfection, control, and legitimacy. He wants to run the casino flawlessly and be seen as a respected figure, even as he facilitates the mob's illegal skim.

Ace begins as a highly successful and meticulous casino operator, a genius in the world of gambling who brings order and immense profit to the Tangiers. However, his obsession with control, his volatile marriage to Ginger, and his tumultuous relationship with Nicky lead to his downfall. After surviving a car bombing, he ends his career back where he started, as a sports handicapper, lamenting the end of the mob's era in Las Vegas.

Ginger is primarily motivated by a need for money and security, but also a self-destructive desire for the chaotic freedom of her past life as a hustler. She is torn between the stability Ace offers and the manipulative hold of her former pimp, Lester Diamond.

Ginger starts as a savvy, high-end hustler who commands attention in Las Vegas. After marrying Ace for security and wealth, she feels increasingly trapped and controlled. Her struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, combined with her toxic connection to her past, lead her to a tragic downward spiral, culminating in her death from a drug overdose.

Nicky is driven by a lust for power, money, and a reputation for being the toughest man in Vegas. He resents being in Ace's shadow and is determined to make his own mark through violence and intimidation.

Nicky arrives in Las Vegas as Ace's protector and the mob's enforcer. His initial role is to keep things in line, but his unchecked ambition and extreme violence lead him to build his own criminal empire. His recklessness and high profile eventually make him a liability to the mob and to Ace, leading to a falling out between the two friends and his eventual brutal murder at the hands of his own crew.