The era of online gaming has rolled its way onto the screen, combining high-rolling action with virtual suspense. From online heists to cyberspace poker games, this is the way that film is benefiting from the online casino phenomenon, and what it says about the culture behind the screen.
We all remember the old casino movies: Casino, Ocean’s Eleven, Rounders. The glamour, the chips, the suave con men. In the last decade, however, there’s been a distinct trend. Rather than smoke-filled rooms of Las Vegas, cameras are now pointing more and more toward the virtual realm of online casinos.
This is not a half-hearted attempt to modernize the locale, it’s an attempt to bring to life the changing face of gambling, one which is now mobile, digital and intensely personalized. And come on, the idea of pulling off a heist from the comfort of a computer screen? Extremely appealing movie material.
The rise of realism: Online gambling sites in real life
Of course, a large part of why online films and series like these do succeed is because they’re realistic. Online casinos aren’t fantasies any more, they are everywhere. From classic staples like blackjack and roulette to quirky hybrids like Slingo (a lighthearted mix of slots and bingo), the market for virtual casinos is enormous.
Many modern platforms now even offer guides for players to get the most out of their experience; take any solid Slingo playing guide and you’ll see how detailed and strategy-driven this world can get. It’s not just about pressing a button and hoping for the best, there’s real knowledge behind the wins (and losses).
All that aside, it’s worth noting that most online casinos today actually have responsible gaming as part of the very fabric of their website. Time limits, betting limits, self-exclusion options, there’s an increasing effort to make the atmosphere safe so that players can play without getting out of hand. And this movement, though still largely underrepresented, is slowly filtering its way into films as well. It’s not just about the jackpot anymore, it’s about leaving the game with your integrity intact.
Hacking the house: Movies that placed everything on online casinos
Runner Runner (2013)
And let’s start with Runner Runner, perhaps the biggest mainstream hit to make a headfirst dive into the world of online gambling. Justin Timberlake plays a down-on-his-luck Princeton student who becomes pulled into the rough-and-tumble world of offshore online poker by suave (and conscienceless) game kingpin Ben Affleck. The film whisks viewers into a high-glamorous but-dangerous world of virtual bets, rigged odds and ethical gray areas.
It’s a retro-style morality story, accessorized with yachts and private jets and their attendant power struggles, but underlying all that glitz, an examination of real issues regarding regulation and morality of the world of online gambling. Not the most reviewed film in the history of the world, but it’s a high-octane thrill ride that put online casinos on the Hollywood map.
Molly’s Game (2017)
Okay, Molly’s Game isn’t really about online casinos, but just hold on, trust me, it’s worth it. The film, based on the real life of Molly Bloom, follows her journey from Olympic prospect to queen of illicit poker games. While most of the action revolves around in-person high-stakes poker, the rise of online poker is a unifying background for the narrative.
As Molly’s venture grows, the shift to online gaming is a danger; easier to reach, more faceless and, straightforwardly, more dangerous. Director Aaron Sorkin nicely integrates the proliferation of online gaming into the narrative without stating it to be the film’s focal point, but it’s definitely there, hanging in the wings like an electronic ghost of Vegas’s former selves.
21 (2008)
Yes, 21 is less card counting than pressing spin buttons, but this movie, based on the true escapades of MIT students who wagered against Vegas for millions, was one that has shaped the way pop culture thinks about gambling. And it opened the doors for stories about gambling that range far beyond the felt table.
Throughout the years following 21, interest in strategic Internet gambling exploded as players attempted to recreate the thrill without ever having to leave their homes. It’s not such a great leap to say that 21 glamorized the idea of beating the system, which is one of the most alluring things about the stories of online casinos.
Online casinos in streaming: More than just background noise
While blockbuster films flirt with online casinos, streaming series are increasingly embracing the theme. Online gambling seems not just a sidelines activity in screenings like Ozark and Billions, but as a business model in itself, and often even a legal and ethical quagmire.
These shows examine what online casinos are all about these days: A mixture of possibility and risk, anonymity and exposure. And let’s be real, watching Jason Bateman washing money through a riverboat casino is way more fun when you understand how real it all appears to your phone screen.
Why it works on the screen: The attraction of the digital bet
There’s a reason that internet casinos have been lucrative movie fare. They’re inherently dramatic, just like casinos in the real world, they involve suspense, deception, large wins and larger losses. And with the added lure of digital anonymity, the stories are more volatile, more hazardous and maybe more relevant.
In a time when it’s all just tap away, the thought of wagering your life savings off your cell phone is thrilling and also sort of terrifying. Movies are just reflecting back at us that. If it’s a beginner poker player in over his head with a cybercrime group or a genius cheating on digital slot machines, there’s a lot of fertile ground for the writers to play.
