The 2012 Spanish movie, The Pelayos (Winning Streak), captured audiences’ attention with its amazing retelling of the incredible story of Gonzalo Garcia-Pelayo, who made over 1.2 million euros playing roulette in European casinos in the 1990s. His story was made even more remarkable due to his development of a legal statistics-and-betting system. This story of record-breaking success reflects the major draws of the gambling and sports industries, as streaks, whether good or bad, will forever be immortalized in the history of the sport. However, it is also a reminder of how difficult and seemingly impossible it is to achieve these streaks, making it all the more impressive when it’s accomplished.
The Inspiration for the Film
The film is inspired by the incredible life of Pelayo, a multifaceted individual from Spain. Gonzalo, a prominent figure in the gambling world, is featured in the movie as a filmmaker, TV presenter, music producer, professional gambler, and game expert. In addition, he sponsors professional poker players and founded Mind, an online CRYPT-FIAT platform. Finally, Gonzalo is an investor in the cryptocurrency market, buying and selling digital coins on the stock exchange.
His rise to prominence came after he developed legal statistics in the betting system. His progression led to him winning more than 1.2 million euros in a roulette game. All of this occurred with the assistance of his family. He took advantage of some casinos, including one in Las Vegas, earning up to 13 million pesetas with his formula. He eventually became a public enemy of casinos and was barred for life. The Pelayos family later decided to play at online Casinos after consistently getting banned from land-based casinos.
They were also able to establish an academy where they explained new methods for winning at casinos. The majority of the recruits in the academy would later become betting champions on multiple occasions. Carlos Mortensen, one of the recruits, became a world poker champion in 2001.
Pelayo complained that despite developing new winning strategies, the new gaming regulations were limiting his profits. He announced his retirement from the gaming industry but remains barred from entering casinos in France and Denmark.
About The Winning Streak
At the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo, a man who has devised a system to win large sums of money from a local casino. Eduard Fernandez, who plays the casino’s proprietor, is dubbed ‘The Beast’. With the help of his family (son Ivan, daughter Vanessa, cousins Marcos and Alfredo, and family friend Balon), Gonzalo puts his plan into action.
Their first attempt is unsuccessful, but they eventually start to win. This draws the attention of The Beast, who hires a private detective to investigate them. Troubles arise when Alfredo, who has become infatuated with the croupier Ingrid, puts the whole plan in jeopardy. Ivan, too, falls for a wild Chinese girl named Shui, who turns out to be a useful ally.
The centerpiece of the film is how the main character is able to overcome the challenges of his team’s unprofessionalism and the opposition from the casino operators. Eventually, he is able to earn a large sum of money before getting banned from the casino, at which point he shifts his operation to online gaming.
The Film’s Critical Acclaim
Winning Streak made its debut at the 15th Malaga Film Festival on April 21, 2012. One week later, on April 27, 2012, the film opened in theaters in Spain, and subsequently saw theatrical releases in Russia, Poland, and Canada. It was featured at the European Film Festival in Ottawa, the European Union Film Festival in Vancouver, and the 2014 Thailand EU Film Festival program.
Despite positive reviews from some critics, Winning Streak has also garnered some criticism. Variety’s Jonathan Holland noted that the film lacks real tension due to its desire to please everyone. Patrick Mullen of Cinemablographer.com gave the film a positive review, commending the ability to draw characters who did not appear in the script. Despite the reviews, however, Gonzalo Garcia-Pelayo’s story of beating the house and keeping the winnings remains fascinating and celebrated by modern casino players.
Final Thoughts
The Winning Streak is an inspirational story that demonstrates the difficulty and complexity of achieving an impressive streak. It is a reminder of the major draws of the gambling and sports industries and shows how Gonzalo Garcia-Pelayo was able to beat the odds and make over 1.2 million euros playing Roulette in the 1990s. Despite some criticism, The Winning Streak remains an iconic story that is celebrated by modern casino players.
[…] His celebrity status is well chronicled, from gambling articles online to The Fabulous History of Los Pelayos book and even a documentary titled Breaking Vegas: The roulette assault. In 2012, the infamous Spanish film director Eduard Cortes released a fiction movie based on this called Winning Streak (The Pelayos). […]