Over the years there have been numerous mobster films to hit our screens that have gone on to be roaring successes, with some even going on to earn legendary status in the film world. The likes of Casino, The Godfather, Goodfellas and Bugsy were all superb mobster movies, but they have also become known as classics in their own right. Mobsters certainly come across in films as exciting as their lives are focused on crime, money, violence, women and one more thing, gambling.
What people will have noticed when watching mobster or mafia types of films is that there certainly seems to be a natural affinity between the criminal underbelly and gambling. You could say that mobsters simply love to gamble. They do earn a lot of money and this seems to see them gravitate more towards the casino business. Mobsters also like to show off their wealth too and what better way than in a packed out casino around a blackjack table?
“You could say that mobsters simply love to gamble…”
Casinos are also seen as glamorous places, they’re for people who have money and these people tend to all congregate in similar areas. Mobsters certainly fit that bracket and with casinos being all about the night life as well, they’re perfect for gangsters too. Not only that but casinos have been seen in films as places where deals have been done and we’ve even seen them used as front for criminal activity too.
If you take the film Casino for example, it is set in an actual casino. What is seen is, though, how mobsters made an impact on casinos during the 1970s and 1980s. The movie focuses on two characters, Ace and Nicky. Ace is hired to run the casino by the mob and Nicky is sent by the mafia to be his sort of protection. There’s a mobster theme throughout the film and gambling is also at the fore front too.
“…crime, money, violence, women and one more thing, gambling.”
The Godfather trilogy is one of the best known trilogies of all time in the film world, with most people you ask being able to recall watching the classic Godfather movies. The film really brought to life the mob and the criminal activities that support it, while highlighting that there is always a man at the top of the tree. Gambling plays a role in the film too and there’s a character Moe Greene who is a casino owner, whose first premises was bankrolled by Don Vito Corleone himself.
These two films are prime examples at just how natural the relationship between casinos is with mobsters, gangsters and the mafia. They just seem to go hand in hand and you’ll certainly be hard pressed to find a mobster film that doesn’t include any sort of gambling. It could be at a casino or even in a smoke filled backroom. You associate mobsters with money and lots of it and this fits perfectly with those looking to splash the cash in their free time attempting to win even more.
