Gambling themes in movies is nothing new. Steve McQueen featured in The Cincinnati Kid in 1965 and Humphrey Bogart played a private eye who helped manage Lauren Bacall’s gambling debt in the 1946 release of The Big Sleep. And the theme has retained its appeal. 1960’s original Ocean’s Eleven was remade in 2001 featuring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and a host of other names.

Such was its success that it spawned two direct sequels featuring most of the same cast, and a fourth film in 2018 with an all-female cast that included Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, and Rihanna.

So, what is it that makes gambling such a popular theme?

Gambling Popularity

One of the reasons for gambling pervading popularity in popular culture is that it is a globally popular pastime with viewers. More than 1.5 billion people gamble in one form or another, and with the proliferation of online gambling options, the number of regular gamblers has increased substantially in recent years.

The latest online casinos are accessible from anywhere and, according to gambling editor Raymond van Wyk, offer a variety of deposit and withdrawal methods ensuring players aren’t tied to specific currencies.

Filmmakers Enjoy Gambling, Too

With such a large number of people partaking in gambling, it is not surprising that it is a popular theme in movies, TV shows, and other popular culture.

Producers and filmmakers are real people, too, and considering around 20% of the world’s population partakes in at least some gambling, it stands to reason that filmmakers also like a flutter. The Gambler, released in 1974, is a film by James Toback based on his real-life experiences with gambling. It’s gritty and hard-hitting, but well worth a watch.

Hope Springs Eternal

One of the main reasons people choose to gamble is the hope that they will win big. Whether it’s national lotteries promising tens of millions of dollars in prize money, or online slots’ progressive jackpots, some of the most popular games are those with the biggest prizes.

There have been quite a few movies about jackpot-winning lottery players and how they use the winnings. Jerry and Marge Go Large and Walking Ned Devine show the good that jackpots can do.

If I Had A Million is a movie about a millionaire steel tycoon who randomly selects 8 people from the phone book to give a million dollars to and follows the recipients to see how they spend their newfound fortunes. Although not strictly about gambling, the winners effectively won a raffle they didn’t know they were even in.

Heist Movies

A lot of gambling movies include heists or robberies. The Oceans films are great examples, and the fact that the original 1960 movie was remade again in 2001 and went on to become a hugely successful franchise of modern movies shows the endearing popularity of the theme.

The popularity here likely stems from the fact that casinos and bookmakers are seen to have a lot of money, which they have won from everyday people. Stealing from casinos is almost seen as fair game by gamblers who have lost a lot of their cash. And heist capers are fun movies to watch.

Bob le Flambeur, which was originally made in 1956, is another casino heist movie that has been remade, this time in 2002 and starring Nick Nolte, and that shows the popularity of this very specific genre of movie. For something completely different, Army of the Dead from 2021 sets a casino heist against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse and the threat of an impending nuclear strike.

Riding On The Popularity Of Violent Movies

Casinos have a reputation for violence. Las Vegas, the biggest and best-known gambling city in the world, was once associated with the Mafia and there were reports of gamblers being subjected to violence if they were found guilty of cheating. Or even winning.

The modern casino and gambling industry is very different, with most major casinos run by huge corporations, but the reputation has stuck. Violent and adventure-filled movies have always been popular, so this crossover naturally does well in movie releases.

Martin Scorsese’s Casino is a great example of a casino movie related to the mob world. The fact it stars Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci certainly helps make it a stand-out title. Killing Them Softly is another star-studded movie, this time featuring Brad Pitt and Ray Liotta, this time about crooks robbing a mob-run card game and how it brings the local criminal economy to its knees.

Exploring The Human Condition

Gambling involves hope, luck, jealousy, happiness, sadness, and a host of other emotions, all of which make up the human condition and that we all experience throughout our lives. Even viewers who aren’t gamblers can enjoy, experience, and sympathise with the characters in gambling movies.

California Split, released in 1974, is a film about a man who likes to bet on absolutely anything in the hope of winning big, but he doesn’t realise those dreams. Charlie Waters nails the performance. The same can be said of Clive Owen’s performance in The Croupier, which is a movie about a croupier who also spends his time writing novels.