New Zealanders with experience in gambling and who want to relive the casino experience now that the pandemic has curbed our going out, can watch these movies. These movies portray the glamorous and yet highly destructive and dangerous life of gambling.
Movies for New Zealanders with Casino Experience to Enjoy
Casino
The casino is a 1995 movie and is one of the most famous casino-based movies of all time. Directed by Martin Scorsese, it is a star-studded cast with Robert de Nero, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, and Kevin Pollak.
The story follows Sam “Ace” Rothstein played by De Niro who is a gambling expert handicapper. He is approached by a Chicago outfit and offered a job where he is to oversee the happenings in the casino and hotel operations at the Tangiers casino in Las Vegas.
We see how being associated with the gambling industry, Sam encounters the Mafia. Then eventually Sam undergoes a mental breakdown. He loses his relationship and stands forlorn in the face of a changing Vegas. The movie has bagged many Golden Globes and Academy Awards.
| Run time | 178 minutes |
| Box Office | $116.1 million |
The Sting
This is a 1973 movie set in 1936 and is directed by George Roy Hill. Sting went on to win 7 Oscars and in total 18 wins and 6 nominations in various award shows.
The story follows two professional grifters who try to con a gangster. Suffering during the Great Depression, Johnny Hooker steals from Doyle Lonnegan who happens to be a crime boss. Unfortunately, he is completely unaware that he has stolen his money. To save his life from the death threats of Lonnegan, Hooker meets Henry Gondorff. He is a known con man. If you have watched Ocean’s Eleven, this is also a must-watch.
They recruit a group of con artists and concoct a complicated plan. Lonnegan is advised to bet on “Lucky Dan” and deposits $500,000 and not only loses his money but also gets arrested. You do not need to spend a lot of money to win, it is enough to play at online casinos with minimum deposits, the list of which is constantly updated at CasinoDeps.co.nz website, specially designed for players from New Zealand.
| Starring | Paul Newman |
| Robert Redford | |
| Run time | 129 minutes |
| Box Office | $159.6 million |
The Hustler
Directed by Robert Rossen, The Hustler (1961) follows the story of amateur pool hustler, “Fast” Eddie Felson whose only ambition in life is to make it into the “major league” of professional hustling and high stakes wager. He arrives at Fats’ and declares that with his raw talent, he will win $10,000 that very night.
After an intense match of poker, Eddie wins $18,000 but at the final round, he loses it all except his original 200 dollars’ stake. In the course of time, Eddie witnesses a lot of terrible things and has to face the suicide of Sarah. Eddie then challenges Fats one last time and wins every round. Eddie and Fats complement each other and in the last shot, Eddie walks out.
The win doesn’t necessarily give him any sustainable joy. He has lost everything precious in life. This movie was a phenomenal success and is registered in the National Film Registry as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
| Starring | Paul Newman |
| Jackie Gleason | |
| Piper Laurie | |
| Run time | 134 minutes |
| Box Office | $7,600,000 |
The Cooler
The Cooler is a 2003 romantic film directed by Wayne Kramer. It is about a casino “cooler” that has an essentially bad luck presence and is used by the casino in order to cool the gambler’s luck. His mere presence makes people lose money or break a winning streak.
His name is “Unlucky” Bernie Lootz and is employed at Shangri-La casino. He has been in a one-sided love with a cocktail waitress, Natalie. After Bernie saves Natalie from an aggressive customer, their love begins to bloom. And due to him being in love, his bad luck starts to fade. He meets his estranged son, Mikey, and decides to pay his son’s debt of $150,000.
The owner of the casino, Shelly, distraught with Bernie now acting as a lucky charm, forces Natalie to leave town. But Natalie returns and restores Bernie’s good luck. In the end, Bernie, now confident with his luck, challenges Shelley in a game of craps and wins.
| Starring | William H. Macy |
| Alec Baldwin | |
| Maria Bello | |
| Run time | 101 minutes |
| Box Office | $10 million |
Gambling in New Zealand
It is reported that around 41% of New Zealanders play at least once a week. In an average calculation, it has been noticed that a gambler spends around USD 41 per month on gambling. Out of this, only 10% of the gambling adult population is at risk. Rather than poker, New Zealanders seem to enjoy Lottery the best.
Ending Thoughts
Movies have always played an important role in framing public opinion and triggering emerging trends. Movies such as these are a blend of gambling glorification while subtly highlighting the problems associated with addiction.
