You’ll want to go on a PayPal Spree after You’ve Seen These Casino Movies
Casino enthusiasts are well aware that although sometimes the risk is worth the reward, other times it is not. Plus, it’s not always possible for you to pick up your bags and fly away to the exciting pastures of Las Vegas and Reno, meaning that your options are, in some cases, limited. Unless, of course, you don’t yet know about the beauty and immersiveness of online casinos. Nowadays, gambling to your heart’s content is not only possible but widely available, even on your smartphone or tablet.
Boasting a wide selection of payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, and even cryptocurrencies, online casinos have become a staple for seasoned players worldwide. If we’ve spiked your interest and you’re searching for a comprehensive guide outside the realm of best online casinos for paypal deposit, the following article will also reveal top-rated movies that will offer you a gambling fix before jumping in the action yourself.
1. The Hustler (1961)
Having celebrated more than 50 years since its release, the Hustler is one of the movies that rocketed Paul Newman’s career thanks to his portrayal of the ambitious pool shark named Fast Eddie Felson.
The film explores how Felson desperately tries to become the best pool player in the world, and how he eventually falls into the company and tutelage of Brett Newman, who teaches him how to play-to-win and win big. All in all, the movie is an excellent choice for anyone who loves to hold the cue, and Paul Newman’s performance and talent emanate through each scene.
2. The Gambler (1974)
The Gambler is based on one of Dostoyevsky’s most prominent novels and stars James Caan as a literature professor who shares the screenwriter James Toback’s obsessions with gambling. The entire action follows the dealings of this brilliant academic who is trying to feed his addiction, borrowing money from his mother, his girl, and even the worst types of loans sharks he can find.
While stereotypes might already be jumping in your mind by reading these lines, the movie elegantly touches upon the feelings of worthlessness experience by Caan, who admits that it’s hard for others to care about a guy capable of stealing from his own mother to pay off his gambling debts.
Multiple scenes point to the complete fracture of logic and split personality, and the lies we tell ourselves to get through the day. For instance, the film touches upon the false belief that gambling is about the power to exercise your free will. To paraphrase Dostoyevsky, man is alone in being able to insist that two and two equal five despite all evidence to the contrary.
Overall, we must remember that this movie follows Dostoyevsky’s novel, meaning that numerous scenes are pointing to the condition of human nature, and that’s what ultimately separates the Gambler from other films.
3. Casino (1995)
Based on the real-life rise and fall of Tony The Ant Spilotro and Frank Lefty” Rosenthal, this movie is a masterpiece written by Martin Scorsese, featuring the same gory style we have come to love over the years.
In addition to a captivating story, the presence of giant names such as Pesci and De Niro makes the entire film a proliferation of 1970s wardrobes, swear words, drugs, and lust. Plus, you can have a first-row seat to the inner dealings of gambling as a business, and how the characters lose track of their goals once they become busy skimming the take, beating one another to death with baseball bats, or chasing after crazy and obsessive women like the one played by Sharon Stone.
4. Croupier (1998)
For those beginners who love gambling but haven’t yet developed the skills for it, there is always the croupier job. While you might not be involved in the game itself as you would desire, you will get the see others win, maybe even living vicariously through them.
If that plot sounds familiar, it’s because it takes the example of Jack Manfred, played by Clive Owen, the titular croupier. The story is captivating, showing the life of gambling inside and out, portraying Owen as the fallen writer who is forced to depend on his chip-handling chops once his literary path fails to bloom.
The movie also brings the idea of self-discovery, as the main protagonist sees life not only from the gambler’s perspective but also from the point of view of a croupier dealing the cards. All in all, gambling is portrayed as a corrupting force that takes over Jack’s playing hand, pushing him towards deceit, adultery, and ultimately murder. After all, a croupier sees the finer details of the gambling world too, which makes for the golden material needed for his book.
This movie is not for the weak hearted or those looking for a funny film, rather intricately examining human motivations and the dark corners of our mind that we would travel to and from.
5. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
The words Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas might trigger the reaction of oh, that movie!, and there’s for a good reason behind it. It all starts with Raoul Duke, played by the fascinating Johnny Depp, who has the assignment of reaching Las Vegas to report from a dirt bike race in the desert. But, he’s not alone, instead, in the company of his lawyer Dr. Gonzo, portrayed by the brilliant Benicio Del Toro.
Intent on making the Las Vegas heat bearable, the pair decides not to hold back, filling their trunk with every single intoxicant known to man, put down the top of the car, listen to immersive tunes and enjoy the trip in the recesses of their own traveling mind.
As expected, the drugs quickly lead to paranoia, and no one is safe with the Duke in town! Plus, from a visual perspective, the movie is excellent. After all, drugged up people make for great visuals, and the actors manage to capture the absurdist trips reminiscent of Monty Python, and other psychedelic themed films. We can’t also forget that we have scenes of casinos filled with dinosaurs and other animals. Where else could you experience that?
6. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
An absolute classic created by one of Britain’s favorite minds, Guy Ritchie, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a film set in England. The action follows an overly-confident card player who enlists three of his closest friends in the task of pulling off a daring heist that could help him pay off the debt he owes to a crime boss.
There are many interesting lessons to be remembered from this movie, in addition to the pain and danger that you could put your friends into once you bet in a rigged game and lose over 500,000:
– Don’t gamble with loan sharks and crime lords
– Friends will always be there for you
– It is possible to have an English accent despite not being British
7. Rounders (1998)
If you have ever had the wish of seeing a young and fresh-faced Matt Damon being chased by a dangerously obsessive Russian with a thing for tracksuits and Oreo biscuits, then Rounders might hold a special place in your heart.
Red Rock West director John Dahl created this film in 1998, and critics described it as a thing of grim beauty because of its compelling story, talented pool of actors, and the brutal force with which the gambling industry is being dissected for our entertainment.
Overall, there is no denying that it’s the excellent performance of the likes of Edward Norton that make this movie the casino enthusiast staple it has become nowadays, in addition to the superb portrayal done by John Malkovich as the deranged gangster Teddy KGB.
Dahl’s exploration of the game is both gritty and thoughtful, with an element of hope added here and there. In more than one way, the film is a detailed yet realistic exploration of what you can expect from the gambling world, despite the few and far in between Hollywood touches that make it funnier and more likable.
If you’ve already seen the above movies and enjoyed them, here are a few more gambling movies worth checking out:
| Movie | Released | Our Rating |
| Casino Royale | 2006 | 5/5 |
| The Cincinnati Kid | 1965 | 5/5 |
| The Sting | 1973 | 5/5 |
| 21 | 2008 | 4.5/5 |
| Ocean’s Eleven | 2001 | 4.5/5 |
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Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean. 
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