The casino industry is one of the most profitable industries in the world. To put it into perspective, 2019 was one of their most successful years after it netted a total annual revenue of over $400 billion. Some people may criticize their work, but one thing is certain – the casino industry is a massive contributor to the global economy. They pay billions of dollars in taxes each year and employ thousands of people.
Gambling has become our everyday life and it has a massive influence on many people. We even have some famous movies that describe this type of life perfectly and that is the topic that we wanted to indulge in. We are here to name some of the best casino movies and to explain how movies helped the casino industry grow. It’s worth noting that other parts of the pop culture influenced the gambling life, but movies are at the forefront.
The Relationship Between Movies and Casinos
Gambling is a legal activity in most parts of the world today, but things weren’t always like that. During the 1950s and 1960s, casinos were banned all around the globe. The punishments for gambling were major and people faced years in jail if found guilty.
But, people loved the activity nevertheless and were more than eager to participate in it. At around the same time, Hollywood started producing many casino-themed movies and all of them were a huge success. The movies were an ‘extra motivation’ for the people to demand a change in the casino legislations. After a few years of pressure, countries around the world started to see the benefits and approved the people’s idea of legalizing them.
Now, this industry has evolved so much that its services are also available online. Casino sites operate 24/7 and everyone over 18 is welcomed to play. To make things even better, some of them offer free games. The most popular are the free Vegas slots and are worth a try. They bring tons of excitement and fun.
We talked about how much movies helped the casino industry grow, but what are some of the greatest casino movies of all time? Let’s check out our top picks.
Casino Royale
There is no better action movie to watch on a lazy day than a good-old James Bond film. After gaining his 00 status, Bond is sent to the casinos in Montenegro to capture Le Chiffre. He is believed to have vital intel for MI6. The plan is to force Le Chiffre into losing, thus seeking asylum with the British government in exchange for the vital intel. But, things do not go according to plan and Bond is forced to improvise, adapt, and overcome. With this movie, Daniel Craig’s character was listed among the best characters from casino movies.
Rounders
Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) is a gifted poker player and a law student whose dreams is to win the World Series of Poker. His friend, on the other hand, becomes a master at the game as a cheater. He manages to take out a big loan in Mike’s name, gets tangled with a KGB member, and loses it all.
Mike is left alone to pay off the debt and deal with the KGB member. His quest has major bumps on the road and not only does he fail to pay it off, but he manages to do the complete opposite – he incurs an even higher debt. Now, Mike organizes an all-in poker game in an attempt to clear his name.
21
The controversial Kevin Spacey leads a team of gifted math students into the casinos in Vegas. Their plan is simple – master the game of Blackjack and win huge amounts of money by counting the cards. The only problem here is, counting cards is not allowed. To make things even worse, Micky Rosa (portrayed by Kevin) has a long history of trouble in the casinos in Vegas. As the story unfolds, things get complicated and the students find themselves in great trouble.
