Hollywood has always had a massive fascination with the glitz, glamour, and inherent danger of the casino floor.

From gritty mobster epics to slick, fast-paced heist movies, the genre has produced some of the greatest films in history.

Casino (1995): The Gritty Reality of Vegas

Starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, ‘Casino’ offers a brutal, unflinching look at how the mafia ran the Vegas Strip.

The movie meticulously details the daily operations of a casino, showing exactly how the ‘eye in the sky’ and the pit bosses operated.

• De Niro plays Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein, a genius sports handicapper tasked with running the most profitable casino in town
• The film perfectly illustrates how greed and unpredictable human emotions can destroy even the most profitable criminal enterprise
• The costume design and incredibly accurate set pieces perfectly recreate the neon-soaked excess of the 1970s

The Slick Heist and the Poker Underground

George Clooney and Brad Pitt star in the ultimate casino heist movie, perfectly capturing the modern, luxurious vibe of the Bellagio.

For fans of intense card games, the 1998 film ‘Rounders’ is credited with helping launch the global Texas Hold’em boom.

They serve as a permanent cultural record of how the gambling industry has evolved over the last fifty years.