The Best Gambling movies – Top 5 Picks you Need to Watch

The allure of online casino games and gambling, in general, is unmistakable. With a bit of luck, your life can change as quickly as it takes to land a winning combination on a progressive jackpot pokie game. The glitzy and fascinating gambling world has always been portrayed in movies and TV series, and films like The Gambler, extensively explore the intricate gambling world. While some gambling movies may not attract millions of viewers, they do reinforce the message of gambling addiction, which is also the primary goal of casino regulators globally. At our supported NZ Online Casinos, Responsible Gambling is a big deal, and players are offered many ways to restrict or exclude themselves from gambling. If you’re after gambling movies, then here are our top 5 picks.

Uncut Gems

Starring in the ’70s-style movie, Uncut Gems, meet Howard Ratner, owner of a jewelry store in New York City. Filled with debt, his life is a mess, and even worse, he’s on the verge of leaving his wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) for a younger woman, his employee Julia (Julia Fox). Howard gambles it away on professional basketball games whenever he gets some extra cash. Still, his story takes a turn when he gets his hands on a precious Ethiopian black opal, and he believes he’s finally struck gold.

As time is of the essence, he will have to pull off a coup before those he owes cash decide to take him out for good. In true Scorsese style, Uncut Gems is the story of an addict who believes the next big score will finally give him the life he always wanted. Revealed by Adam Sandler’s note-perfect turn, Uncut Gems is a scuzzy movie that’s as propulsive as it is exhausting.

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Rain Man

An evergreen classic, with Tom Cruise as Charlie Babbitt and his brother Dustin Hoffman or Raymond, Rain Man centers around Charlie, a Lamborghini importer. Charlie finds out that his father has passed away and left him a roadmaster convertible while leaving his autistic brother, who was in a mental institution, the entire $3000000 estate. Driven by the greed of inheriting so much money, Charlie fetches Raymond from the institution and puts him in a hotel. When Charlie discovers that Raymond is gifted as a mental calculator, he remembers his brother was part of his childhood and was his anonymous friend, the “Rain Man.”Rainman was one of the first movies shot inside a casino, and while now online casinos dominate the gambling landscape, in 1988, when the movie was shot, physical land-based casinos were the gambling hotspot. Highlighting the music, bright lights, and turn of fortune, the iconic casino scene was shot at a legendary Caesars Palace, where with the help of Raymond’s gambling skills, they make over $86,000 by counting cards with Blackjack.

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Molly’s Game

A 2017 American biographical crime drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, and based on the 2014 memoir of Molly Bloom, Molly’s Game features leading actor Kevin Costner. The movie follows Bloom, who becomes an FBI target after the underground poker empire she runs for Hollywood celebrities, the Russian mob, and other prominent leaders is exposed. Molly’s Game premiered in 2017 at the Toronto International Film Festival and grossed $59 million worldwide. Molly’s Game received positive reviews and earned Golden Globe nominations.

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The Gambler

The Gambler is a crime drama film directed by Rupert Wyatt in 2014. Based on the 1974 film The Gambler and loosely based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel of the same name, The Gambler features the final film performance of George Kennedy before his death in 2016. The story revolves around Jim Bennett, an LA literature professor. He self-destructs with gambling when he owes $200,000 to an exclusive, high-stakes underground gambling ring and another $50,000 to his loan shark. Now he has seven days to pay off his debts, or he will be murdered. Jim convinces his mother to give him enough to pay off his debts, and when she does, he gambles it all away. As the story unfolds, Jim convinces his debtors to meet him at the casino, where he wagers enough money to pay both men off when he wins on a single roulette spin and remains broke but debt free.

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21

21 is an American heist drama film directed by Robert Luketic in 2008. Starring Kevin Spacey, and other renowned actors, 21 is inspired by the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team. As told in the best-selling 2003 book by Ben Mezrich, Bringing Down the House was a box office success and number one film in the US. The story is of Ben, a maths major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is accepted into Harvard Medical School but can’t afford the tuition. At MIT, Micky Rosa, a professor, challenges Ben to solve the Monty Hall Problem, which he does. When Micky realizes Ben has a 97% score on a non-linear equations test, Micky invites Ben to join the MIT Blackjack Team, where they earn substantial profits through covert signaling and card counting.

21 gives us a glimpse of the life of a gambling addict and reveals the darker side of chasing your bets. Online gambling is fun-filled and the ultimate entertainment, but gambling addiction can be a problem for some people. Our featured NZ online casinos are serious about addressing these issues and offer many ways to limit or curb your online gaming and spending.