The betting industry has been growing exponentially for decades on end and this is due to the integration that it has had in pop culture. Since the early days of cinema, betting characters have been on our screens and showing the audience what betting is like and the fun sides of it, but it also shows the not-so-fun sides of the pastime.
This is what makes betting such a fun thing for people to watch, it isn’t perfect, it has its ups and downs and can sometimes be stressful to watch which keeps the audience engaged. With this being said, let’s take a look at the characters who have changed betting and helped the industry grow to as big as it is today.
Little Caesar (1931) Portrayed By Edward G. Robinson
As one of the earliest depictions of betting. Little Caesar is one of the first examples and one of the best too. Little Caesar is about a mobster who is involved in underground betting rings that are illegal to operate. This film is mainly a film that focuses on the negative side of the industry, focusing more on what’s wrong with these betting rings and why the illegal operations are forbidden by the Government.
However, despite the film being about the negatives, it still showed why betting is so popular and why nearly 100 years later people are looking for bonuses like the popular UK casino offer of 100 free spins that some of the biggest sites like Boylesports casino offers their players, the film showed the luxurious lifestyle that can come with betting and winning.
Sam “Ace” Rothstein Played By Robert De Niro In Casino (1995)
Although the 1990s isn’t as “retro” as a film from the 1930s, this list wouldn’t be complete without Robert De Niro getting mentioned. This film is one of the best films ever made by one of the greatest directors of all time, Martin Scorcese,
This film, again, is about a mob boss who is given the job of looking after a mob-controlled casino and perfectly shows the inner workings of the industry but with the extra twist of the mob being a key element of the story. This film has some of the best examples of what the floor used to look like in bustling casinos and also shows what the owners of said casinos had to do to make them run efficiently.
The Gambling Icon – James Bond
When you think of gambling film icons, James Bond will mostly be the one that pops into your head and for good reason. With the multiple legendary actors that have portrayed the suave Englishman, betting has always been something that has been connected to the character.
Spanning back from the Sean Connery classic, Dr. No from 1962 to the more recent Daniel Craig starring Casino Royale from 2006, betting and James Bond have clearly always had a healthy relationship and this affects gambling massively.
Compared to his other list mates, James Bond adds a layer of class and shows people that betting can be played by suave and upper-class people and not just thugs and mob bosses – in the 1960s this would’ve been a huge for viewers to see.