Gambling Addiction, also termed compulsive gambling, is a progressive addiction that can have negative repercussions which are social, economic, and psychological. Over the years, it has been a topic of intense discussion and debate and is almost always considered a self-destructive habit.
Reconsidering the incapacity to restrain the temptation of gambling, multiple movies have been created to educate the audience on the dangers of gambling addiction. If you are interested in such types of movies and also looking for casino sites that are not on GamStop, NonGamStopBets team prepared an excellent guide through the movie world for its casino fans.
Molly’s Game
Molly’s Game is a 2017 crime drama directed and written by Aaron Sorkin based on a 2014 biography named Molly Bloom starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O’Dowd, and others. It was a critically acclaimed movie and bagged nominations for Golden Globe for Best Actress-Drama, screenplay nominations at Academy Awards, BAFTA, Golden Globes, and Writer’s Guild of America. It was also deemed a commercial success earning $59 million worldwide.
The movie shows Molly Bloom, a former skater and Olympic aspirant who works as a waitress in LA after an accident that ruined her career. She gets involved with Dean, an unsuccessful real estate agent, and starts hosting underground poker games, attracting the attention of business tycoons, Hollywood celebs, athletes, and a mysterious player X. She faces betrayal and sabotage after trying to host an independent poker game and gets involved with the Russian mafia. The movie ends with Bloom exposing her players and being sentenced to a year of probation, community service, and a fine of $200,000 for being involved in illegal gambling.
Casino
The casino is a 1995 epic crime movie directed by Martin Scorsese and distributed by Universal Pictures, starring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, and James Wood. The movie received positive reviews from critics and earned $116 million worldwide. Sharon Stone bagged the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture and received a nomination for Academy Awards for Best Actress.
The movie follows Sam or “Ace” Rothstein, a sports handicapper and gambler who initially wins big bucks at a day-to-day casino and marries his lover and hustler Ginger Mckenna. Sam’s life goes downhill after his involvement with the Mafia and the turbulence in his marital life, where his wife becomes addicted to drugs and tries to kill him. After a series of misfortune, the characters meet their end in different ways- Ginger dies from drug abuse, Nicky gets shot while Sam goes back to being a handicapper.
Rounders
Rounders is a 1998 drama movie written by David Levien and Brian Koppelman and directed by John Dahl starring Matt Damon, Edward Norton, and Gretchen Mol. Rounders was moderately successful in the box office but the poker bloom gave it a cult following.
The storyline shows law student Mike McDermott who dreams to win the World Series of Poker but loses out $30,000 simultaneously to a Russian mobster. Henceforth, he decides to leave gambling for good and lead an honest life with his girlfriend Jo; but the release of his friend Lester “Worm” Murphy from prison destroys his plans. Worm rakes up debts under Mike’s name which he had to clear through poker. The movie ends with Mike winning $60,000, clearing Worm’s debt, and leaving Jo behind to win the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
Mississippi Grind
Mississippi Grind is a 2015 drama movie directed and written by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck starring Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn, Sienna Miller, Lio Tipton, Robin Weigert, and Alfre Woodard.
Gerry, an unsuccessful gambler and a real estate agent, meets the charming Curtis in a casino. Having superstitious beliefs, Gerry thinks of Curtis as his good luck charm which leads him to go on a gambling trip to different cities where they try their luck to hit it big. Things do not go as planned as Gerry starts losing money instead of gaining and the ‘lucky charm’ falls short on luck. The movie ends with Gerry re-purchasing the car he sold off to pay his debts and reminiscing about his daughter.
The Gambler
The Gambler is a 1974 crime thriller directed by Karel Reisz and written by James Toback starring James Caan, Paul Sorvino, and Lauren Hutton. The Gambler is considered to be the prototype for most gambling movies and a cult favorite. It was nominated for the Golden Globe awards.
Axel Freed, an English professor by day and compulsive gambler in secret, gets caught up in the dangerous world of gambling which almost ruins him. Although he loses a bet which costs his mother $44,000 to bail him out, he continues to gamble recklessly, winning once and losing every penny in the next minute. Now he has no way out and loan sharks are hungry to tear him apart.
Conclusion
To prevent falling victim to this addiction, one must recognize symptoms and distinguish between reality and myth. A movie that deals with this subject may be efficient in identifying symptoms and overcoming them. Thus, before diving into the world of gambling, this list of movie recommendations can aid you in gaining information about online gambling and its addiction.
