Casinos play an important role in popular culture as they have been around for generations. They impact various sectors of the world of entertainment. The film industry happens to be one of them and it has several decades of a shared relationship with casinos and the entire industry.
The casino industry is mostly dominated by the iGaming sector nowadays. In other words, players across the world enjoy their favorite casino games online. There are several online casino websites that cater to their needs by providing them with tons of games as well as other interesting offers and mechanics. Additionally, they provide a secure gaming environment and cover several payment methods.
The physical aspect of the casino industry has been in bed with cinema for a while, and there are several films out there that cover various facets of the casino world.
Glitz and Glamour
Casinos are often used as settings and locations for a film. They can be part of the main story or side stories that choose to illustrate a character. Regardless of how they’re used in the film, they’re almost always presented as luxurious establishments with amazing design, top-tier staff, and an exciting atmosphere. You can take the casino in Casino Royale as an example.
Once Bond arrives there you can see that the venue is no ordinary establishment and it caters to all sorts of players. The agent has access to a high-roller poker game that lasts for days, and the staff works round the clock to keep players satisfied. The same sort of luxury can be seen in the Ocean’s Trilogy.
The glitz and glamour of casinos entice audiences and make them part of a luxurious world. When they see staff in impeccable uniforms as well as guests in all sorts of formal clothes. It serves as a lovely top that hides the intrigue or the façade of society.
The Intrigue
When you see a well-dressed person in a casino you assume they take care of themselves and take time to look good. Psychologically, you’re more likely to attribute positive traits to a well-dressed person. This is why suits and dresses and high heels and shoes are used in films with casinos as a nice surface to hide the intrigue of a character. You can see this in Ocean’s Eleven where all the characters in the film are impeccably dressed. Their attire is part of the scam they’re looking to pull and they look good regardless if they’re staff members or players.
The same can be said about Michael Corleone in the first Godfather film. He goes to negotiate with Moe Greene in a spectacular dark suit that makes him look sophisticated. He calls the meeting an attempt at negotiations, but it’s really a meeting where he tells him that he’s going to take over his casinos. So, he pretends to be a well-dressed and polite gentleman, but he’s really a well-mannered and calculating individual who gets his way. When he doesn’t he takes all sorts of action to make his plans come true.
A Microcosm of Society
Casinos also represent a part of society or a microcosm of society, a world that doesn’t always play by the rules when it comes to making it big. The Godfather duology is another example of this. In other words, it’s used to present the ties Las Vegas had with the Italian mob. If you go back in history, you’ll find that some big brand names in Sin City wouldn’t have been possible without mob intervention. The first Godfather film shows that heads of families can cater to various casinos and run them behind the scenes. They also have the money and influence to invest in other casinos as illustrated in the second Godfather title.
Another example of this microcosm is the Casino film from 1995. The mob takes an interest in its investments and makes sure that they’re operating smoothly. That’s why they send their men to take care of their investments. The man in question is Ace Rothstein and he does a swell job of it until Nicky comes along. The mob decides that one man isn’t worth it and eliminates him to enjoy smooth operations and profits. Nicky doesn’t make the cut, and the casino continues to operate.
Sometimes, people will go visit illegal casinos to play games and these elements also contribute to the microcosm in society. Roudners is a perfect example of that as the main character plays his most important games in an illegal casino. It’s a risky prospect as these are dens where criminals roam and might hurt him and anyone else there. Unfortunately, illegal casinos are still part of society.
Heists
Casinos have been subject to heists for years. Some of them were pretty clever and inspired some films. The Italian Job is one of them and so is Ocean’s Eleven. We mentioned previously that the characters in the film are impeccably dressed to make sure the scam or the heist works. All of them are expert thieves and they stake out each part of the casino to find an angle they can exploit. The film also illustrates the complexity of robbing a casino as these venues employ a variety of security tools such as cameras, face recognition software, and more to keep potential thieves out. You can this one and other casino films on platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or Prime, that bring all sorts of new stuff each month.
Final Words
Casinos have remained important to popular culture which is why they have a spot in the film industry. They serve as glamorous locations where a film is set, but they also serve as places where not all well-dressed people are well-mannered and well-meaning individuals. Films aren’t afraid to show casinos as parts of a microcosm of society and their ties to the underground. They can be dark places as well. Nevertheless, casinos come in multiple colors when they’re represented in the world of films and will continue to represent the multiple facets of society.