Gambling is deeply rooted in American culture. Americans have a century-long affair with gambling, particularly since most popular casino games (such as poker and slot machines) originated in the US. Other games like roulette and blackjack easily caught on with the US population.
The glitz and glamour of casino life have also attracted denizens of film directors throughout the years. Casinos are exciting, entertaining, colorful, and offer everyone a chance to become a millionaire overnight. Therefore, gambling movies have existed since the beginning of the 20th century, and today, we have hundreds of them.
Las Vegas – the world’s capital of casino entertainment – has been used as a film set for the majority of these movies (over 250 in the past 70 years), and in this article, we will mention some of the most famous silver screen projects that took place here.
Casino (1995)
It’s not a big secret that organized crime and gambling were tightly connected back in the day when Las Vegas was still developing. One of the best movies that portray this is certainly Casino. This Martin Scorsese flick from 1995 starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone depicts the ups and downs of two men who own and operate a casino house in Las Vegas. Large portions of the movie were filmed at the Le Bistro Lounge in the Riviera hotel and casino resort.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Not many know that Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven is a remake of the movie with the same name from 1960 that gathered a crew of famous singers and entertainers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Junior.
Nevertheless, the 2001 remake is the first thing that pops to mind when someone says Ocean’s 11. The movie tells the story of 11 criminals employed by Danny Ocean (played by George Clooney) on a mission to simultaneously rob three large casino houses in Las Vegas. The action takes place at famous casino joints in the city such as the Riviera, Desert Inn, The Flamingo, Sahara, and Sands.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
James Bond is well-known as a gambling man, but one movie in particularly places 007 in Las Vegas. Diamonds Are Forever is the last James Bond film featuring Sean Connery. In this flick, he embarks on a mission to get to the bottom of a diamond smuggling operation. Many of the scenes in Diamonds Are Forever were shot at Tropicana, Westgate, and Circus Circus casinos and hotels.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Going on a psychedelic drug trip through Las Vegas, journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his Samoan lawyer Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) roam around the city in search of the American dream. This movie – which was based on a book by Hunter S. Thompson – captures the essence of Las Vegas in the 1970s. It was filmed in the Le Bistro and Stardust casinos.
The Hangover (2009)
The Hangover is a story about a group of buddies that go overboard and party too hard during a bachelor party. The following day, they can’t remember anything they did the previous night. They try to retrace their steps when they realize the groom is missing hours before the wedding.
This comedy has two sequels, but many agree that the first was the best. The two primary locations of the film were Las Vegas South Boulevard and the Bellagio hotel.
URL: https://casinosites.me.uk/insanely-interesting-gambling-movie-facts-probably-didnt-know/
