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If you have ever wondered what the most popular gambling movies were, you no longer have to wait!

In fact, we have gone one better and listed probably more than you expected, because below you will find the top 21 gambling movies, following a recent study by www.newcasinosites.me.uk who compiled data and statistics from a number of industry sources to produce an overall percentage which ranked each of these movies.

Below, you will find a snapshot of each one, according to their rankings!

Casino Royale

Debatable as to whether this could be classed as a standalone gambling movie, due to the fact that it is a James Bond movie, though it nevertheless came in first place with 87 percent, and included all of the different traits that you would expect from a 007 blockbuster.

Mr Lucky

This 1943 release has proved to be a timeless classic, likely due in no small part to actor Cary Grant who played the lead role. Well worth a watch and it is definitely a movie that has a number of intoxicating twists.

Rounders

Ranking third place is an intriguing, suspense-filled film featuring Matt Damon and John Malkovich about a reformed gambler turned law student who returns to playing poker to help out a friend who is debt to a loan shark. Gripping.

Croupier

Starring Clive Owen as lead, this is about a writer struggling to make it and who takes a job as a croupier in a casino. He is then approached by a gambler who asks for his help planning a casino heist.

Casino

Rounding off the top five is an atypically nineties classic mafia movie starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, this ventures into the shady underworld of the gambling scene of Las Vegas where there is trouble at every turn.

God of Gamblers

A Chinese action comedy, this features a gambling couple intent on duping a legendary gambler who is suffering from memory loss.

California Split

Illustrating the hedonistic gambling and prostitution scene of California, this 1974 classic features ‘jack the lad’ gambler Charlie Walters who lives for gambling looking for that life-changing win.

Ocean’s 11

Another Damon film in the list (is it the last??), this is part of the box office ‘Bourne’ franchise which centre’s around the actor’s character Danny Ocean assembling a crack team of 11 to raid three Las Vegas casinos.

The Colour of Money

Released in 1987, this classic starring Tom Cruise, this about a a pool hustler (Paul Newman) who takes a cocky, skillful apprentice (Cruise) under his wing. Eventually personalities clash, leading to an ultimate showdown.

The Cincinnati Kid

Coming in at 10, this 1965 sensation stars Steve McQueen in the lead role who is set on beating the best poker players and features many twists and turns along the way.

Molly’s Game

Based on a true story, featuring Idris Elba this chronicles the events of olympic skier Molly Bloom who organised exclusive high stakes poker matches, before her home was raided by FBI agents. 

Hard Eight

Released in 1996 and starring Gwyneth Paltro and Samuel L Jackson, this is about a gambling veteran in Sydney who takes a down on his luck gambler under his mentorship.

Owning Mahony

A movie about a Toronto-based banker who funds his gambling habit by stealing funds from work, John Hurt and Minnie Driver and has twists at every turn.

The Gambler

Mark Wahlberg leads the cast in a movie about a compulsive gambler who risks everything in search of the big win, even laying down his own life as collateral to a loan shark, but staying one step ahead of the game a the same time.

The Cooler

William H Macy, Maria Bello and Alec Baldwin all star in this casino classic about a uniquely bizarre arrangement between a boss and employee, designed to maximise profits. Things take a turn for the worse though when romance begins to blossom.

Intacto

A movie with a rather sinister plot based on main character, Federico’s ability to steal the luck of others and use it to his own advantage.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Starring Jonny Depp and a young Tobey Maguire, this is about a 400 mile motorbike race across the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas, used as a cover for drug smuggling, which soon has repercussions when they sample the delights that ‘Vegas has to offer.

21

Perhaps ironically, coming in at 21st place is the aptly named movie 21. Based on a true story, this is about a group of Stanford mathematics students and professors who set out to beat the casinos of Las Vegas using card counting skills.

author avatar
Bernard - Side-Line Staff Chief editor
Bernard Van Isacker is the Chief Editor of Side-Line Magazine. With a career spanning more than two decades, Van Isacker has established himself as a respected figure in the darkwave scene.

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