Time Stting?
I have just seen parts of this film on cable, I never seem to be able to see it all the way through. I don't know if its stated or indicated as to when this film was meant to take place. My guess would be like the late 1970s?, based on the cars, etc. Also, at the 3end , when the credits are rolling, they are showing some of the old casinos being demolished.
The film almost foreshadows the drastic changes in Vegas that took place in the 1970s and early 1980s. The mob was finally driven out of Vegas, and the city was being turned into a more family freindly tourist detination. By the 1980s, the days of mob thugs murdering with impunity were over. I think the myth of a "cooler" was also an outdated Vegas idea. I've done enough gambling in my life to know that it always evens out in the end, there's no one born lucky or unlucky.