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Top 4 Casino Movies That Actually Focus on Gambling

The legalisation of gambling in Nevada in 1931 established Las Vegas as the world’s gambling mecca. But it did more than that – it glamorised the gambling industry. Rumours regarding the flourishing gambling business in Las Vegas and its exuberance reached Hollywood, and before long the public could enjoy gambling movies in theatres all over the country. More than 80 years later, Marvel’s Blade Movie will show that casinos have a special place in the hearts of Hollywood film directors.

Actually The Matrix Slot is based on one of the most popular movies, but not all gambling movies are the same, though. In fact, most of them focus not on casino gaming itself, but rather on its glamour and magnificence – which is great, but we believe there is something even greater.

To us, watching the action is much more entertaining than watching the glamour. That is why we have prepared four movies that actually focus on gambling – if that is not enough, you might want to check our another article about top movie slots you can play for real money.

1. Rounders (1998)

Rounders follows the story of two compulsive gamblers – Mike and Worm. The movie begins with Mike losing his money on a poker game against Teddy KGB – a dangerous Russian gambler. Mike’s girlfriend tries to convince Mike to stop gambling, and he seems to agree.

But then Mike’s best friend Worm gets out of prison and quickly falls into debt by playing poker. As the action unfolds, it becomes clear that Mike has to be the one to pay off his friend’s debt.

To us, what makes this film is not the plot itself, but the poker references. Rounders is one of few movies to show poker in such detail, but that is not all. Even when characters are not sitting on the poker table, their language is dotted with poker and other casino terms.

2. The Gambler (1974)

The Gambler is the first of many movies to delve into gambling addiction, and it does it in a most realistic way, too. The title of the movie pretty much tells what it is all about – a man who falls into a gambling addiction and looses it all.

But this is not your typical Hollywood film about gambling addiction. Axel Freed is not a good man who steadily descends into the desperateness of addiction. Rather, he is a man from a good background who happily lets his addiction consume him.

Axel Freed is a compulsive gambler from the very beginning of the movie – he falls into a $44,000 debt by playing poker. But as the movie unfolds, Axel’s obsession gets worse and worse. At first, his rich family members help him clear his debts, but he continues to gamble recklessly and things eventually spin out of control.

The movie is old and its Dostoyevsky-laced script is somewhat sophisticated, but it is worth a watch nevertheless.

3. 21 (2008)

21 is a film which takes a different approach to gambling. The film is neither about gambling addiction, nor about the glamour of being a successful gambler. Rather, 21 focuses on how some gamblers are ready to scam casinos in order to increase their winnings. Moreover, 21 is partially based on a non-fiction book called Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich, which tells the real-life story of a team of M.I.T. students who count cards to win millions of dollars in Vegas casinos.

Ben Campbell is a Harvard medical student who struggles to pay his tuition fees. Trying to raise the money to pay his tuition, Ben ends up in a team of college students who count cards at Las Vegas casinos.

Essentially, 21 shows how greed can turn good people into swindlers, and that is why it should be watched. But If you are looking for a nice variety of casino games, you can try more slots themes here.

4. Owning Mahowny (2003)

To experts, Owning Mahowny is Hollywood’s best representation of gambling addiction. Whereas the movie is incredibly slow-paced, it provides an invaluable insight into gambling addiction and shows how addiction can ruin your life once and for all. Furthermore, the movie is based on a true story, which makes it all the more realistic.

Owning Mahowny reveals the story of the vice president of a bank in Toronto, who is also a problem gambler. His addiction gets him into debt and he is forced to take money from his bank to clear his debts. He begins by stealing exactly as much as he needed to cover his debts at the racecourse – $10,300. What starts as a harmless enterprise ends up a disaster, though – Mahowny takes as much as $10.2 million from the bank. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the role of Mahowny brilliantly – his problem has consumed his whole life to such an extent that he rarely pays attention to the money he steals.

Owning Mahowny is worth to watch as it does not represent a fictional, but a real story. Any gambler can fall into an addiction – and this movie serves as a reminder of this fact.

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