Casinos make great backdrops to movies and have provided some of the most memorable moments on film. With their combination of glamour, money, fortune, luck, and Hollywood’s obsession with the mob it is easy to see why. The casino offers a larger than life experience where fortunes are made and lost in a moment. When you are feeling the itch to fly somewhere exotic and make a fortune at a classy casino but don’t have the cash, then these movies will help fulfill that need for you.

Casino 1995

Classic story of two powerful mobsters battling it out for control of a vast gambling empire. Casino was based on a true story and directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Robert Deniro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone. A brutal tale that dives beneath the sheen and glamour of Las Vegas to reveal its sordid and violent underbelly.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 1998

While not focused on gambling, this film features casinos heavily in its drug fueled ride through the mayhem and excitement of Las Vegas. Based on the real life hi-jinks of Hunter S Thompson (who wrote the book), and played by Johnny Depp and Dr Gonzo his lawyer who was played by Benecio Del Toro. Las Vegas is a larger than life experience in its own right but the pair of misfits take it to another strange level, living life to its maximum, in this psychedelic film.

Casino Royale 2006

What is more quintessentially James Bond than an image of him in a tuxedo pitting his gambling skills against villains at the world’s most exclusive casinos? Casinos pop up time and time again throughout the series but Casino Royale’s provides the most intense gambling moments of them all. Some critics have called this the best Bond movie of all time and the pivotal gambling scenes filmed at the casino go a long way to prove this.