Hollywood has always been in love with the world of gambling. The result of this affection is a large number of gambling-related movies that have been made to date. We don’t blame them as we understand this entirely.
A large number of movies that explore this topic have turned into classics that people watch again and again. These pieces of art are appreciated both by those who enjoy placing a bet or spinning the reels from time to time and by those who have never entered a casino or a sportsbook before.
Regardless of which group you fall into, we’ve collected a list of hard to believe facts about popular gambling movies that will certainly spark your interest. Check them out!
1. Casino Royale: The Most Expensive Gambling Movie
Gambling movies do not have to be very expensive to make. However, the producers and directors usually reserve a large budget to present the luxury and the opulence of casino resorts. If you also add James Bond to that story, you get the most expensive gambling movie ever.
According to this infographic, the production cost ended up being $150 million.
2. 250 Gambling Movies Filmed in Las Vegas
As you can assume, Las Vegas is the most popular destination for making gambling movies. In the past 70 years, more than 250 movies have been made in Sin City. This does not surprise us as Las Vegas is basically one huge casino resort.
The most popular destination for filming in Vegas is the Strip, where all of the most luxurious casinos are located.
3. Gambling Movies Are Bad for Business
Many people are against movies about gambling because they believe this is a way to promote another vice. However, that’s far from the truth as these movies often promote negative images about gambling as a whole.
For example, the typical Hollywood gambler is run down, addicted, in debt, with little support from his loved ones. Gamblers are also shown as cheaters and immoral individuals, and the Hollywood gambling world is ruled by the mafia.
4. Six Gambling Movies Made Between 1908-1930
Did you know that gambling movies only became popular after WW2? In the infant years of filmography, gambling was not at all an important topic. In 22 years between 1908 and 1930, just six gambling-related titles were made in the whole world. However, today, we can choose from hundreds of awesome movies that were filmed around the world.
5. Gambling Movie Stars Love Gambling
A lot of popular movie stars who played significant roles in gambling movies have started to like gambling in real life as well. Some of the biggest names in Hollywood include George Clooney, Edward Norton, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and so on.
Some of them, like Clooney, for example, have become entrepreneurs and opened their own casino resorts. Others, like Affleck, have ended up struggling with gambling addiction for a time.
6. Gambling Movies Are Not Realistic
Hollywood is generally not always trying to be as realistic as possible. That’s true when it comes to gambling movies as well. If you come from the gambling world and you watch one of the popular movies about this topic, you will notice a lot of scenes that are not at all realistic.
Such scenes include those where gamblers are able to make consistent wins and earn millions. This is something that does not happen in real life. You could get lucky a couple of times in a row, but luck will not stand by your side all night long.
