The Best Bookies Movie
If you are looking for great bookies movie to watch, you have landed on the right page. As sports betting and casino gambling can be downright stressful, why not put your feet up, grab some popcorn and watch how Hollywood portrays our favourite pastime?
Betting, Gambling, and Popcorn
If you love the rush of betting on sports and playing casino games but also enjoy a good and quiet movie night with friends and family, why not merge the two with a great bookie movie? Gambling and betting movies can cover a wide range of topics, whether that’s drama or comedy, action or romance, there’s something for everyone. Did you know the movie Casino is actually based on real-life events?
The Best Movies Based on Gambling
Cinema has a long history of movies that focus on sports betting and gambling in general. It’s not difficult to see why. Every game can has incredible highs as well as lows. This makes betting a great subject to base a movie around. Here are some of the best-rated bookie movies.
| Movie Title | Movie Plot |
|---|---|
| Hardball (2001) | Keanu Reeves stars as a guy addicted to sports betting. He takes over the local baseball team for bad kids and they help him defeat his addiction |
| The Gambler (1974) | James Caan stars as an English professor that gets hooked into the world of sports gambling. After winning a “fixed” game, the mob are now after their money back |
| The Hustler (1961) | Probably the best-known sports gambling movie, Paul Newman stars as a small-time pool hustler, looking to overshadow the sport’s biggest name |
Are There Any Funny Bookies Movies?
Who doesn’t love a good rib-tickling movie to help improve your mood? In general, most of the movies about bookmakers are more dramas and thrillers, however, there are a few that buck that trend. Let’s take a look at some of the funniest movies about bookies.
Bookies (2003)
Bookies is a very funny movie about a group of American college students that lose a high amount of money on gambling so they decide to create their very own bookmarkers. Not only is it funny, but it also gives the viewer a unique and realistic portrayal of how bookmakers used to operate prior to online betting.
Smoking Guns (2017)
A British gangster movie based on a treble bet that lands a guy named Jack a small fortune. However, a mobster boss learns of the huge windfall and he will do anything to get his hands on the bet. A classic British gangster film set in London that will surely keep you interested well until the end.
Lay The Favorite (2012)
This one is definitely not for the kids. An exotic dancer meets a professional gambler called “Dink” that turns out to be the A-lister, Bruce Willis. The story follows the hilarious highs and lows they encounter whilst living it up in Las Vegas. The movie is fresh and entertaining.
Gambling Movies Based on True Events
There are plenty of great gambling movies that are based on true events. After all, the sports betting and casino world is full of unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes, things can turn out in ways that are hardly believable. Some of them are more well-known than others. Let’s take a deep dive and review some of the best Tinsletown has to offer.
Molly’s Game (2017)
The movie is based on the true events of a once-hopeful Olympic skier named Molly Bloom. After a skiing accident wrecks her dreams of Olympic glory, she decided to direct her life in a totally different direction – underground poker. She moves to New York and plays in the world’s most exclusive, yet illegal poker tables, with unnamed A-list celebrities.
Casino (1995)
Casino isn’t a movie for the faint-hearted. The plot is based on the true story of casino owner Frank ‘Lefty’ Rosenthal and mob boss Anthony Spilotro in the early 70’s. The pair owned 4 unlicensed casinos in Las Vegas. The story portrays a dark, hidden history of greed, adultery and murder.
Owning Mahowny (2003)
Owning Mahowny is a movie centered around Dan Mahowny, an assistant manager in one of the largest financial offices in Toronto, who single-handedly orchestrated the biggest bank fraud in Canadian history. He went on to defraud the bank out of over $10 million over the space of 18 months to feed his huge appetite for gambling.
A fascinating fact regarding this movie is that after the real Dan Mahowny served his prison sentence, he came out a reformed man and now is a high-ranking consultant for a company that investigates fraudulent transactions. Still, his story continues to intrigue movie and betting lovers all over the world.
To Wrap Up
If you’re looking primarily for a bookie movie, there are not many out there. The days of dark and smokey bookmakers, full of tipsy gamblers are long gone. As online gambling continues to take a stranglehold of all the bookmaking elements, unfortunately, it seems bookie movies are a thing of the past.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bookie and Gambling Movies
As we come to the conclusion of our article, we answer some of the most common questions related to gambling movies. Before we continue, please have in mind that the filmmaking world is infinite. We have tried to present a comprehensive selection of the best gambling flicks, but we would be very glad to learn any other suggestions you might have.
1️⃣ What is considered the best movie based on bookies and gambling?
Not only the highest-grossing gambling movie ever but Casino also heads IMDb for the highest-rated film based on the votes of its users on the platform. It has rightfully earned its fame as one of the best gambling movies in the history of filmmaking.
2️⃣ Is there a UK-based movie on betting?
As we have learned in the article above, there are many Hollywood gambling movies. UK betting movies are surprisingly thin on the ground, given the number of people that like a flutter these days. There's one movie called Smoking Guns about a man who places a winning treble on the horses only to get in trouble with the mafia.
3️⃣ What is the movie Bookies about?
Although it's classed as a comedy, the movie has a lot of suspense and could be classed as “hard-hitting.” We wouldn’t advise watching it with the family on a Sunday afternoon! However, there are other funny flicks about wagering that are family-friendly, too and typically feature a great morale.
4️⃣ Are there any gambling movies based on a book?
Believe it or not, most great gambling movies are all based on best-selling books. Casino is derived from the book - Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. Both Owning Mahowny and Molly’s Game both have bestselling books with the same name.
5️⃣ Is it true the movie Owning Mahowny is based on real-life events?
Yes, it is true. It's based on the biggest bank fraud in Canada’s history. Dan Mahowny took money from his customers with bank accounts at the firm where he worked to fund his gambling habit. Both the real story and the movie are captivating, so make sure to watch the flick.