Plenty of creative people have been inspired by the gambling industry. In fact, gambling is such a popular topic of examination, that there is an entire subgenre of film dedicated to it. However, it isn’t just Hollywood that produces content inspired by gambling. Throughout history, and still today, people write books, comics, and create video games about gambling. In this article, we would like to explore how casinos and gambling are often portrayed in popular culture.
Video Games
When most people think of gambling representation in popular culture, their mind most likely goes to video games. For good reason too, as gambling and video games have a lot in common. In fact, the entire online gambling industry is heavily inspired by the video game market. The success of online real money casinos California owes a lot to video game development, as most of the software behind iGaming is taken directly from the gaming world.
The connection between gambling and gaming doesn’t end with online casinos, of course. There are plenty of games with subtle, or even overt gambling inspiration. For example, the Final Fantasy franchise is not one that is usually associated with gambling. However, dedicated fans of the game most likely are aware that, since the release of FFVII, most installments in the game have featured a casino level. Players have to navigate a massive casino, and even have the option to play a few games.
On the other hand, we could point to Red Dead Redemption, a cowboy game with all the tropes and trademarks of the 70s spaghetti western genre. In both the first and second installments, the player can visit a saloon, and sit down at a table to play a few rounds of poker. The game goes so far as to include some other popular gambling games, like roulette. Red Dead Redemption has been praised for the immersive elements, which extend to gambling. Aside from wagering real money, the game truly makes the player feel as if they are sitting at an old saloon, gambling their in-game earnings.
Film
If you don’t think of video games when discussing gambling portrayal, then it must be film. Plenty of well-researched and well-known publications have released lists regarding the best gambling movies of all time. But, the question that most of those lists don’t answer is, what does film have to say about gambling? For the most part, we can separate three kinds of gambling movies: movies where gambling is the backdrop, movies that view gambling as a skill, and movies that portray it as a compulsion.
In the first category, we can comfortably place the classic film, Casablanca. The romantic drama sees a woman who is about to be married reunite with a past partner in the titular city. Her ex-partner is now the head of a casino, and roulette tables can be seen throughout the scenery. However, the gambling in the film does not play a role in the plot or the story. It is simply there to share a bit of information about the characters themselves.
More often, gambling films focus on the brilliant main character, who is capable of pulling off impressive feats in the casino. The best example of this would be the 90s classic Rounders, starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton. In the film, the two main characters manage to pull off incredible feats, which many gamblers would argue are impossible. They do it through sheer skill, or through cheating the system, but at the end, they are shown to be the heroes of the story, who have outwitted the rest of the cast.
Finally, gambling is also often portrayed as a compulsion, which the characters can’t help but return to. These types of movies are more concerned with how “problem gambling” affects people who suffer from it, and those around them. An excellent example of such a movie would be the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems, starring Adam Sandler. In the film, Howard is a betting fan, who takes his hobby to unbelievable heights, and pays the ultimate price.
Anime and Manga
In Japan, gambling is illegal, and most residents don’t really have access to popular casino games, outside of pachinko. Because of this, gambling is often seen as something dangerous and mysterious, which of course makes for a great narrative tool. Gambling manga and anime have become so popular, that much like film, there is an entire subgenre dedicated to stories about savvy gamblers pulling off incredibly maneuvers to win against impossible odds.
The king of gambling manga is Nobuyuki Fukumoto, the writer of Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji. In the story, the down-on-his-luck college graduate, Kaiji is sucked into the gambling underground, and must compete in a series of events in order to get out of debt, and maybe, just maybe, win enough money to last him a life time. Fukumoto is well-known for his unique art style, as well as his ability to get inside his main protagonist’s head, and really explore the psychology that drives a person to gamble.
Though there is an entire sub-genre dedicated to gambling, the concept does get explored in other manga as well. For example, Hirohiko Araki, the creator of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, seems to have a pretty big interest in the concept. In his series, several characters exhibit abilities which deal with gambling, such as the villain Daniel J. D’Arby, whose Stand, Osiris, has the power to steal the soul of anyone who loses to him in poker. Not only that, but often his characters are thrust into a casino, and spend some time gambling for fun.
Final Thoughts
The fascination that people have with gambling extends far beyond the boundaries of the casino. Even those who’ve never set foot in a casino, or even played a gambling game can often enjoy the thrill of a film the plot of which revolves around gambling. The continuing success of the video game industry has led to gamers joining MMOs like World of Warcraft with increasing frequency. But it has also sparked interest in games that are based entirely around gambling.
