If you love the look and feel of a real casino environment and want to replicate that feeling with a movie, we’re here to help! There are some fantastic casino movies out there to get you in the mood for playing casino games and gambling. You never know, you might even pick up some casino tips along the way!
In this article, we’ll introduce you to XXX movies that will give you the feeling of being in a real casino. Whether you’ve never placed a bet or played with real money in your life or you’re an avid gambler, you’ll enjoy these movies.
We’ll talk you through a whole load from different decades – don’t be put off by the year of release, some of the oldest are the best! And after all, casino features don’t really change!
Here’s what we’ll mention:
- The Sting – 1973
- California Split – 1974
- Casino – 1995
- Golden Eye – 1995
- Hard Eight – 1996
- Ocean’s Eleven – 2001
- Casino Royale – 2006
- Ocean’s thirteen – 2007
- The Cooler – 2004
- Mississippi Grind – 2015
- The Gambler – 2014
- Molly’s Game – 2015
Let’s look at these in more detail.
Retro movies all about casinos
Some of these movies date back to the 1970s and early 1980s but we still find ourselves watching them 40 years later! Let’s take a look at some of our favorites:
#1 The Sting
Created in 1973 and directed by George Roy Hill, The Sting tells the story of two conmen, Gondorf and Johnny, played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford respectively. The two clever men try to overthrow a mob boss (played by Robert Shaw).
If you like casino films that combine betting and swindling, you’ll love The Sting. I wouldn’t recommend getting ideas to try and get a real money casino win at Captain Cooks though! Remember, it’s fine to play casino games but not to con people!
The storyline was inspired by two real-life brothers and cons called Charley and Fred Gondorff that was previously documented in The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man by David Maurer in 1940.
The Sting’s title pays reference to the moment when the “play” is finished, and the money is taken off the mark. What’s really nice about this film is that it is punctuated by title cards that were drawn by Jaroslav “Jerry” Gebr in an artistic style that is reminiscent of the American magazine The Saturday Evening Post.
#2 California Split
This Columbia Pictures 1974 film is a comedy drama directed and produced by Robert Altman. It stars George Segal and Elliott Gould who play a couple of gamblers, Charlie Waters and Bill Denny, in Los Angeles.
The pair develop a friendship as they both love gambling. They are robbed and beaten by a player whose money they won in a card game.
Despite their common interests, the two men are somewhat different: Charlie lives with a couple of prostitutes and is always looking for his next casino win. He bets on horse racing, poker, and boxing amongst other things. Bill, however, doesn’t gamble as much (at least not initially) and actually has a job working for a magazine – though he spends a lot of his time avoiding his manager.
All’s well that ends well as the saying goes – but does it? No spoilers here! At least you can’t get beaten up when playing modern online slots real money Сanada style! You should definitely check it.
1990s casino movies
As we move on from the 1970s and 1980s, things shift a little. Let’s take a look at the best casino movies from this time.
#3 Casino
Well, there’s no guesses what this movie is about – and boy, it is full of drama and action! This movie was released in 1995 and is still as thrilling to watch now as it was then.
The movie is focused on a clever mafia associate called Ace who rises to power in casino-central Las Vegas thanks to his strong will and intelligence. It’s a full-on star-studded affair starring Sharon Stone and Robert De Niro among others, and it was directed by the multi-award-winning Martin Scorsese.
This is another film that’s also based on a book. This time a non-fiction book called Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi (who co-wrote the film’s screenplay too).
The main characters in the film are based on real-life people. The plot centers on Ace and his management of the casino as well as the Mafia’s involvement.
This is another movie that links the crime underworld with a love of gambling.
#4 Golden Eye
Baccarat anyone? If you love playing (or watching) baccarat in an online casino, then you’ll love Golden Eye where you get to see James Bond’s love for this game shine through. Forget about the nuclear weapon launch that’s impending!
This 1995 movie stars Pierce Brosnan and is very action-packed like you’d expect from any James Bond movie.
Though Bond is always very busy saving people from the threat of nuclear warheads, he’s also got time to enjoy good old baccarat in a casino.
#5 Hard Eight
Hard Eight was one of the 1990s most highly-rated movies – and it continues to rank highly in its genre. The movie came out in 1996 and talks about a success story turning sour due to lacking focus.
John is a teacher as well as an intelligent gambler. He was able to overcome being broke to having all he has ever wanted at his fingertips.
After falling in love, things start to fall apart and go awry.
This movie is motivating and exciting for casino lovers and a message to never lose your focus.
Casino movies in the 2000s
As we turn the new millennium, the film industry certainly cracked out some great casino movies. Let’s see what this decade has to offer.
#6 Ocean’s Eleven
This 2001 heist/comedy movie highlight how extravagant and impressive the casino lifestyle can be. It’s a real star-studded movie that was directed by Steven Soderberg and features George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts.
The main character, Danny Ocean (played by George Clooney) is a heist mastermind with epic intelligence. He puts together his team of conmen and together they try to carry out an impressive casino heist.
This film has everything you could want from a casino movie. It’s funny and thrilling at the same time – a definite must-see.
#7 Casino Royale
After Golden Eye in the 1990s, it’s time for another Bond movie in the 2000s. This time Daniel Craig plays Bond whose mission is to prevent a mob banker from winning a high-stakes poker game. It was Daniel Craig’s first film as Bond, so he had a lot to live up to!
Bond is simply a huge gambling and casino player inspiration. The film is set early on in his career when he starts as Agent 007 and earns his license to kill.
In typical James Bond-style, there’s also a love interest. This time it’s with Eva Green’s character Vesper Lynd who is an employee at the treasury who provides Bond the money to gamble with.
#8 Ocean’s Thirteen
After the success of Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Twelve (not mentioned in this list) comes another casino-themed movie in Ocean’s Thirteen.
Danny Ocean returns with his skilled team of robbers for another heist.
The movie is set in a hotel-casino in Las Vegas, which Ocean and his crew plan to ruin on its opening night by rigging the casino games to pay out millions of dollars. As well as all of the familiar faces from the other Ocean’s movies, you have Al Pacino, Vincent Cassel, and Angel Oquendo among others.
#9 The Cooler
The Cooler is a 2003 romantic drama movie directed by Wayne Kramer. In this movie, we have Bernie Lootz (played by William H. Macy) working as a “cooler” at the Shangri-La casino. He never seems to have any luck.
The casino manager, Shelly (played by Alec Baldwin) hires Larry (played by Ron Livingston) as an advisor to help get more money into the casino.
For a small movie, the cooler is certainly up there in terms of casino content. It’s certainly one to watch!
Casino movies in the 2010s
#10 Mississippi Grind
This 2015 gambling movie stars Ryan Reynolds as Curtis and Ben Mendelsohn as Gerry. It is all about poker and was one of the best movies released in 2015.
The film tells the story of a gambler who has run out of luck and is facing hardship. He teams up with a charismatic and young poker player that he met when playing a game. Together, they dream of taking a road trip to Mississippi in New Orleans to hit casinos and racetracks and to play private games. Of course, all the while chasing a big win.
This is the sort of movie you’ll want to watch again and again, especially if you love poker.
#11 The Gambler
This 2014 film is a remake of the 1974 film of the same name. It stars John Goodman and Mark Wahlberg who plays an English literature professor called Jim who is a gambler and gamer that’s run out of luck.
The story tells the tale of Jim trying to get his life back on track. If you’re used to seeing Mark Wahlberg in movies, you’ll realize that this isn’t his standard role. Wahlberg usually plays likable people. However, in The Gambler, his character is somewhat imperfect with lots of flaws highlighted.
For Jim Bennet, gambling is self-destruction, and he winds up owing $200,000 to an underground gambling ringleader as well as $50,000 to a loan shark.
It’s definitely not the sort of film for learning casino life hacks as the main character ends up broke (though free from his debt).
#12 Molly’s Game
Last but by no means least is another movie based on real-life events. This time Jessica Chastain stars as the lead role of Molly Bloom who becomes the center of an FBI investigation for running an exclusive underground poker club for the likes of business tycoons, athletes, and Hollywood celebrities.
As an ex-Olympic skier who was forced into quitting due to an injury, Molly decides to move to LA where she becomes a waitress in a club. There she meets Dean who is a real estate developer (though an unsuccessful one) and gets embroiled in Dean’s game.
Her work earns her lots of tips, and she learns poker as she goes. Dean doesn’t like this and fires her and so Molly starts her own underground empire.
She moves to New York, where she starts up her own poker game underground with success. The games begin to take an illegal turn and the Russian mafia get involved as well as the Italian mafia.
Final thoughts on movies that will give you the feeling of being in a real casino
So, there you have it XXX gambling movies spanning the last five decades. I think we’ll all agree that there are so many great casino movies that will inspire and entertain those of us who love a casino game or who are interested in trying out a casino for the first time. If you manage to work your way through the entire list, you’ll probably have learned loads about casinos and gambling (as well as pitfalls to avoid too!). Unless you want to end up like a couple of our characters in these movies, it’s always best to gamble responsibly!
