The 6 Best Movies About Gambling Addiction

A distraction that quickly transforms all the characters’ situations. Tension, a classic storyline, and strong acting are only slightly affected by the near impossible poker hands that pop up during the film. This list has been dominated by masculine films led by male stars, which unfortunately reflects the genre as a whole. A set of lucky circumstances sees Ratner develop a professional relationship with NBA star Kevin Garnett. With some insider information, Ratner sets up a bet on the NBA Championship Finals.

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He doesn’t even seem interested in casinos, which is weird since the movie is called Casino . The result is California Split (1974), a wonderful character study that delves deep into the dangers of gambling addiction. There’s no denying this entry as a classic of the gambling movie ilk, and although it hasn’t aged as well as some of its older counterparts, it will forever be remembered for its tangible tone and rock-solid narrative. Directed by Robert Altman, this gambling saga tells the tale of its two primary characters, Bill Denny and Charlie Waters — played by George Segal and Elliot Gould, respectively.

The Card Counter (

From the Safdie Brothers, Uncut Gems follows fast-talking jeweler Howard as he tries to juggle family obligations, his mistress, angry collectors, and mounting debts on top of his insatiable thirst for gambling. The Card Counter is a revenge thriller about an ex-military interrogator turned gambler who is haunted by his past. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. His writing has appeared in NBC, FOX, MSN, Yahoo, Purewow, The Playlist, The Wrap and Los Angeles Review of Books. While not as good as Oceans 11, the line, “I don’t gamble, not with people’s lives” is maybe the best in the entire franchise.

Bullsh*t The Gameshow

This film is one of our top movies about poker because the world of gambling can serve as both a refuge and a battlefield for personal demons. It’s not just a movie about gambling; it’s a story of regret, penance, and the search for forgiveness. Charlie Waters and Bill Denny are gamblers who come together through a mutual appreciation of their hobby. Charlie goes out of his way to gamble as much as he can in a bid to win the biggest payday there is alongside Bill.

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Except for Hoffman, that is — although, his one scene in the film almost managed to steal the entire show. Spacey is particularly checked-out here, and the movie was criticized for “whitewashing” in its casting, turning the mostly Asian-American real-life players into generic white people. But for a brief moment, before Spacey is being kidnapped and beaten in a hotel room, it’s an interesting look at the science behind smart gambling.

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Things finally fell into place when Martin Scorsese came aboard as an executive producer. After they roll into Las Vegas with $100,000, Linda’s tango with ‘22’ is a must-watch meltdown. It’s from the golden 80s movie archives but Lost in America stands the test of time.

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Among his list of creditors is his own brother-in-law, but that’s the least of his worries as he’s also in bed with Arno, a loan shark and a mafiosi-type who is very keen to get his money back by whatever means necessary. There’s nothing the casino can do if someone’s playing hot and winning a lot of money—unless they send in “The Cooler,” anyway. Played with a timid, nervous energy by William H. Macy, “The Cooler” is naturally unlucky, and he works for the casino by jinxing players and spreading his misfortune. Whether you’re in it to learn how to beat the house or just want to hear the soothing sounds of chips stacking and slots spinning, these are the best gambling movies to put you right in the action. If you’re feeling lucky and want to see what that luck can get you, put down the FanDuel app and check out the 20 best gambling movies you can watch to satisfy your hunger for more. “The Cooler,” featuring William H. Macy as Bernie Lootz, steers the audience through a distinctive narrative path within the alluring yet morally complex world of Las Vegas gambling.

Casino 1995

Aaron Sorkin’s writing does a job of building a realistic world, and the gambling scenes aren’t out of touch. Players and fans were never really impressed; instead, they waited for a film that did the game justice. For many, that came in 2015 with the release of Mississippi Grind, a drama written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and starring Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Reynolds. The film talks about the life of Henry Hill and his allies’ criminal careers. The memorable casino scene is when Tommy DeSimone approaches the craps table with lots of money to place bets. Tommy is one of the main characters, and he brings an atmosphere of excitement to the audience.

Molly’s Game

You can check out sites like comeon.com for some fun casino games to enjoy in your free time. “Uncut Gems,” a film released in 2019, became a sensation on Netflix. The movie features Adam Sandler, typically known for his comedic roles, playing a character named Howard Ratner, a compulsive gambler who owns a jewelry store. To pay off his debts, Howard must get his hands on a rare and costly gem, all the while attempting to prevent his addiction from harming his relationships and personal life. Gambling is unpredictable, and high stakes make it a popular movie subject. Netflix has a plethora of gambling movies that are not only entertaining but also educational.

• With gambling being so prevalent in the Western world for many years, it’s no surprise that it has made its way to Hollywood films.
• A Martin Scorsese gem, Casino is about the competition between best friends, one a Mafioso and the other a casino executive, for a gambling empire and a fast-living socialite.
• This classic film from Martin Scorsese features an enticing duo in Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci.
• In weaving a story that is at once an exploration of addiction and a portrayal of friendship and human connection, “Mississippi Grind” showcases a narrative rich in empathy, complexity, and authenticity.
• Based on a 1950s television series created by Roy Huggins, earning a box office of $183,000,000.
• The lasting phrase from the film may be a delusionally confident Howard exclaiming, “This is how I win,” but the tragic irony of it all, gambling is ultimately how he loses everything.
• They have 40 overall this season, which is the most in the NFL through Sunday’s games.
• After finding out that a massive sum of inheritance money is being left to an autistic brother (played by Dustin Hoffman) he never even knew he had, Charlie gets the bright idea to somehow lift all of that money from his older sibling.

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This movie is sure to delight those who have seen  “Cards, Money, and Two Guns”. This movie has a similar background, but the events take place in Las Vegas. The plot of the movie is centered around a priceless artifact that is lost during a poker game. You can meet different characters in the picture – cowboys, Native Americans, girls of easy virtue, and police officers who prefer corruption. Robert De Niro starred as Ace Rothstein who controlled the mafia in Chicago.

Some horror movies were so terrifying that just one viewing is enough to be seared into my brain for eternity without ever needing to rewatch them. A Martin Scorsese gem, Casino is about the competition between best friends, one a Mafioso and the other a casino executive, for a gambling empire and a fast-living socialite. A film cynical in nature, the beguiling use of the spiraling roulette wheel is meant to represent the randomness and transience of life. As a result, giving this gambling film a much deeper meaning than what meets the eye.

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It’s easily one of the top casino movies you could watch, packed with action and thrills. While the casino isn’t the main theme of this movie, it still deserves a place on our list of top casino movies. “Rain Man” earned an 89% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 90% from audiences, and it grossed $171.2 million in the U.S. The movie is of course a highly romanticized version of actual events, but it’s captivating and definitely one of the top gambling movies on Netflix to watch on any day.

Why consider playing at an online casino

This exhilarating film depicts the dark side of excessive gambling and how chasing a big win may not always be the best option. It’s one of the best movies regardless of category from the 1990s, arguably the greatest decade for film. Yes, The Hangover is available on Netflix, along with many other epic gambling and comedy movies. But it’s not a story that ends well for Jimmy and this fascinating documentary shows how far he rose and how fast he fell. It’s well worth seeking it out on YouTube, if nothing else to finally understand a stream of TV and film references you never really understood before. “Mississippi Grind” is a bit divisive, earning a 91% rating from critics and just 55% from audiences.

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In his Hollywood debut, Charlton Heston plays Danny Haley, the owner of an illegal gambling operation who turns into a detective after one of the patrons of his establishment commits suicide and has a brother hellbent on avenging his death. Somehow director William Dieterle fits a romantic ending into a gambling film where lives are lost just as easily as money is. Balancing law school, a relationship, and debts owed to loan sharks isn’t easy. In “Rounders,” John Dahl takes us to New York’s private poker clubs where friends Mike McDermott and Worm need to secure enough money to repay a debt Worm accumulated in prison.

• Cinematic techniques — such as close-ups on tense faces, quick cuts during exciting hands, and the strategic use of music and sound effects — enhance the emotional impact of gambling scenes.
• His situation becomes more complicated when he gets entangled in the cheating schemes of another man.
• However, it often simplifies the broader spectrum of gambling psychology, which encompasses a range of behaviours from recreational to problematic.
• We’ve shown you our lists for the best poker and casino movies of all-time.
• This category is for films about gambling, or in which gambling is important to the plot.
• It’s pretty cool seeing the mix, from old-school vibes to the new high-stakes dramas.
• It’s a black-and-white film starring Steve McQueen as an up-and-coming poker player making a name for himself during the Great Depression.
• It is also a film that captures the essence of poker and the people who play it.
• In this article, we will delve into some of the best movies that tackle this issue, exploring the emotional depths and consequences of compulsive gambling.
• Based on a true story, Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a Canadian degenerate gambler who embezzles millions from his bank in order to feed his gambling habit.

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This makes it an important watch for everyone, whether you fancy being a player at the poker table or not. The Hangover’s casino scene is a sly tribute to Rain Main, particularly as (Alan) Zach Galifianakis and Phil (Bradley Cooper) descend the escalator into their Rain Man chic suits. The card counting scene is just one of the many highlights in this road trip set in – where else? Trent (Vince Vaughan) and Mike (John Favreau) are so ‘money’ in Swingers they don’t even know it. Their ‘Vegas baby, Vegas’ road trip is effortlessly cool and Trent’s pep talk to Mike in the casino is a classic.

• The movie (Jack’s Casino) is just another version of this wonderful fairy tale, and it reflects the rampant corruption in some parties and the backstage of American politics.
• Shelly Kaplow, the casino’s boss lady, appreciates him and his ability to keep her casino on the winning end of things.
• Paul Thomas Anderson is known for his films Boogie Nights and Magnolia.
• Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, the owner of KMH, a jewelry store in New York, but he also has some problems on the side.
• With John (the veteran) mentoring John (the novice), the film immerses viewers in a compelling narrative that is as much about human connection and moral ambiguity as it is about the perils of gambling.
• Amateur gambler Bill (George Segal) becomes friends with a professional player called Charlie (Elliott Gould).
• However, they all request one of the friends who happens to be good at counting cards to help them win the money needed.

The vibrancy of emotion and improvisation seems to be unsurpassed in Altman’s production as well. Like “Casino,” “The Cooler” gives an insider’s look at gambling and all the measures taken to prevent it from paying off. Rather than sketching a master gambler, “The Cooler” is drawn to the opposite end of the spectrum. A cooler, in Vegas parlance, is a player so unlucky that his mere presence alone can ruin a high roller’s hot streak. William H. Macy, in a role he was seemingly born to inhabit, plays the eponymous Bernie Lootz, who lives a dreary and sexless life in a rundown motel on the Las Vegas Strip. The former gambling addict works a thankless job at the Shangri-La Casino, where he is indebted to its hard-lined owner Shelly Kaplow, played by Alec Baldwin in an Oscar-nominated performance.

The movie storyline depicts Sam Ace’s rise to power as a casino operator. Sam Ace is a gambling expert who Chicago Outfit employs to run casino and hotel activities at Tangiers Casino. The incredible casino scene that captures many arises when two players bet $ on one roll of dice in a high–stakes game. This movie is based on the true story of Molly Bloom, a former professional skier who became one of the most successful poker players in the world. Released in 1995, Casino is a classic gambling movie that is based on the true story of Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a professional gambler and casino operator in Las Vegas.

Directed by Robert Altman, “California Split” follows the friendship between two gamblers played by George Segal and Elliott Gould. The film is an insightful exploration of the gambling lifestyle and the different forms it can take. In “Uncut Gems,” Adam Sandler takes on a non-comedic role to embody a character consumed by the thrill of gambling. Sandler portrays a frenzied jewelry store owner whose gambling addiction puts him in a financially difficult situation. “Molly’s Game,” one of the best movies about poker (in our humble opinion), is a compelling journey into the clandestine world of high-stakes poker, showcasing the rush and pitfalls of hosting the world’s most exhilarating casino game.

Every gambler that I’ve ever known can find their story in here, perfectly expressed. There’s the Kid, all the talent in the world and trying to be the best that ever was. There’s the Man, unloved and unfriended and maybe past his prime, who knows that it always comes to character in the end.

Imagine a scene where a woman in a tight red silk dress confidently walks across the carpeted floor of a Las Vegas casino. She subtly signals a well-dressed gentleman seated at one of the blackjack tables before taking a seat at the next table, smiling at those already there. The game is on; they’re about to outsmart the casino at its own game. Therefore, “Casino” stands not merely as a masterpiece of cinema but as a profound societal commentary that continues to resonate with viewers across generations and cultural contexts. Directed by the masterful Martin Scorsese, “Casino” elucidates the tumultuous, often nefarious world of Las Vegas gambling during the potent era of the 1970s.

• And Ladyfingers, of course, who has seen it all so many times that the story has played out before it even begins.
• Some well-received poker films include the western comedy Maverick (1994), Survivor host Jeff Probst’s debut film Finder’s Fee (2001), the improv-inspired The Grand (2007) and indie comedy darling Hitting the Nuts (2010).
• Made in the heat of the now-mercifully-cooled World Series of Poker craze, the late Curtis Hanson put an immediate halt to his terrific L.A.
• This movie is a must-watch for poker players who enjoy the adrenaline rush of the game.
• The insights are nevertheless accurate and they will definitely help you not just enjoy the institution of gambling as fiction but look at the hard facts and come back to the green felt a much smarter player.

The film provides a great opportunity to get to know what Vegas casinos were like during their heyday. It tells the story of the shifting from Florida to Vegas in the early 1990s. At that time the woman got a job with a professional gambler starred by Bruce Willis. It’s a great gambling story with the popular actor who was co-starred by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vince Vaughn. In order to pay his debt, Howard does precisely what every high-stakes gambler would do; he places an enormous bet that could help pay off his entire debt but could also destroy what’s left of his life if it fails.

After she’s fired from her gig of overseeing the games on behalf of a local tycoon, Molly takes her professional contacts and creates an underground ring on her own. But Molly gets caught up in an outside scandal that sheds light on her poker ring, and the film follows the decisions she makes along the way. The advantage is that this motion picture is based on the real story of a group of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The idea is that they were trying to rob one of the casinos in Las Vegas. As other casino gambling movies of all time, Atlantic City is a 1980 romantic crime film starring Burt Lancaster & Susan Sarandon, directed by Louis Malle. A gangster & aspiring blackjack dealer becomes involved in a dangerous scheme.

A perennial down-on-his-luck guy works as a gambling jinx, known as a cooler, in an old school casino until his luck changes for the better when he becomes smitten with a cocktail waitress, much to his cutthroat boss’s frustration. Two con men get revenge for a fallen friend in this buddy comedy starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman. The Sting won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, and many more in 1974, as the smart but tense comedy keeps the audience guessing who will come out the better grifter.

This scheme soon leads to Charlie taking his autistic brother on the road with him for a life-changing excursion. All the while, Charlie relies on his brother’s amazing mathematical skills to help him win big at every gaming table they come across during a stop in Las Vegas. This moment then leads to a change in character for Charlie that makes this film a real tearjerker that’s bound to hit you right in the feels. Ever hear about the underground gambling dens that were visited by multiple A-list celebrities? Writer and director Aaron Sorking tells the tale of Molly Bloom, the queenpin behind the exclusive and illegal underground ring of high-stakes poker games.

Manfred takes a job as a croupier, similar to a dealer, to inspire his writing. He goes against the casino’s code of conduct and gets wrapped up in a risky heist. Catacombe is a Dutch movie directed by Victor D. Ponten and one of the grittiest movies about gambling you will find on Netflix. Telling the story of match-fixing in soccer and the organized crime that preys on vulnerable athletes, the movie is a masterpiece of both narrative and cinematography. Even the promised reward of $10,000 for safekeeping the bag cannot help Garrett hold onto his word.

Critics loved the movie because it doesn’t celebrate or glorify the lifestyle of a high-stakes gambler, even if it occasionally gives you a sense of fantasy for the money and culture surrounding that scene. Mississippi Grind plays out like a gambling road trip tale that takes viewers on a wild ride through the South. When Gerry ends up meeting a gentleman by the name of Curtis (played by Ryan Reynolds), Gerry deems him his new lucky charm.

It’s a black-and-white film starring Steve McQueen as an up-and-coming poker player making a name for himself during the Great Depression. He eventually comes up against the best in the game, Lancey Howard, and the threat of a fixed game. In a unique dramatic role for Adam Sandler, “Uncut Gems” has him starring as a slick New York jeweler with a gambling addiction.

For instance, the illusion of control is a common cognitive distortion in gambling, where players believe they can influence outcomes that are actually determined by chance. This aspect is rarely addressed in gambling films, which prefer to focus on the glamour and grit of the gambling experience rather than its psychological complexities. This article critically examines some of the most beloved gambling movies—”Casino Royale,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” and “Rounders”—to assess their accuracy and how well they reflect the intricacies of gambling.

For a little over 90 minutes, Hard Eight Sydney takes John under his gambling wing after helping his homeless protege get enough money for his mother’s funeral. Jeweler Howard Ratner, played immaculately by Adam Sandler, will gamble anything away to crawl out of a never-ending https://true-fortune.us/ debt spiral, including Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett’s 2008 NBA Championship and mobster money. The film is an uncompromising look into how much gambling is truly a disease that can destroy a gambler’s life and the lives of nearly anyone who touches him.