Tombstone. An episode of Friends (The One in Vegas). Goodfellas. Ozark. And, well, Casino. If the last one didn’t make it obvious, here’s what they all have in common: the casino takes center stage. 

We often take it for granted that casinos have an almost ubiquitous presence in Hollywood. But it’s not a given, right? It’s not like casinos are as common as your average bodega in NY City. 

So what makes the casino such a popular backdrop for some of the most famous stories that have graced the silver screen? Let’s explore.

People Just Love Casinos

Movies and TV shows like to depict a reflection of society, what people are into in a given era, and what is popular. And as long as the camera has been running, people have loved casinos. 

The core of it, the absolute barebones, is that we love the gameplay. Without high-quality games like blackjack, roulette, and the classic slots, you have no formula. 

When you see a casino in a movie, you’re instantly transported to the experience you’ve had in the past, the excitement you felt, the games you enjoyed, and hopefully, the bags of cash you won. By extension, there’s an instant lean towards liking what you’re watching on screen. 

Casinos Always Innovate

Casinos also represent innovation. They’re traditional, ooze sophistication, but they also keep up with the times. These days, you’ll find slot machines that look like the best video games on the market. 

Traditional games like blackjack and roulette are given a new lease of life by adding elements like sweepstakes, a low-risk, high-reward variant of the games. Additionally, the rise of online sweepstakes casinos introduces a unique blend of gaming and chance, providing players with thrilling opportunities to win big while enjoying timeless favorites. So even though you’re playing games that are hundreds of years old, it’s still something new and fresh.

Movie and television executives know this, and the presence of casinos in their productions subtly injects both the classic and the new into the minds of audiences. You’re comforted and drawn to the familiar, but also intrigued by the innovative nature of casinos. 

Driving the Plot of the Movie

Casinos are also fantastic as a backdrop to drive the plot of a movie or television show. Casinos inherently raise the stakes, which is why they’re often used in thrillers. 

For example, you have the classic getaway scene. The title character is in a bind, trying to escape the cameras, the tight security, a terrible hand in blackjack, it all sets the tone and drives the excitement. 

Casinos are all about big money, even bigger stakes (and not just financial!), and reflect the plot of the movie, or even drive it entirely. That’s why they will always have a spot on the silver screen. 

Casinos = Cool

Watch a clip of Casino Royale, or even just the trailer of the Daniel Craig classic. No matter how you slice it, it’s just cool. When you see him schooling other players in the casino, you want to be that guy. 

Of course, it’s because it’s James Bond. Yet the casino also does a lot of the heavy lifting. There’s something inexplicably classy about winning a hand of blackjack, or having a crowd of keen spectators when playing craps. It’s an unknown quality, something inexplicable, but something we can all appreciate. 

They call it je ne sais quoi for exactly that reason: you can try to explain the draw of the casino, but there’s something almost ethereal about it. Casinos are just cool. 

Just think of the movie Ocean’s Eleven. It oozes from start to finish, and it’s not just because it stars Brad Pitt and George Clooney (although admittedly that does have a lot to do with it!). Vegas is at the center of the plot, and it adds to the mystique of the production. 

Gangsters and Illegal Activity

And finally, one major reason why casinos feature in movies and television is our fascination with the underworld. Let’s face it: society has a bit of a fetish with gangster figures. We love to hate them. Names like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano have an eternal place in the collective memory; they capture the imagination, even if we know that deep down these were dangerous, evil characters. 

Yet we romanticize them. They have the expensive suits, the fast cars, the beautiful women. They take risks that put everything on the line, they have power, and lots (and lots!) of money. 

And of course, gangsters and all sorts of illegal activity is tightly connected with the casino industry. In Ozark, the casino drives the crime business. Or how about Casino, one of the ultimate movies about gambling? Without the backdrop of the glitz and glamor of the casino, it’s not quite the same.

Even with online casinos taking a slice of the gambling pie, there will always be room for brick and mortar establishments, in all their sparkly, twinkling glory. And we’ll no doubt continue seeing them at the movies, Netflix, or anywhere else you consume entertainment.