Online gambling is beginning to become a fixture in American life. Sites targeted to Americans are proliferating after the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports gambling, allowing individual states to decide where the industry would be legal.
Gambling and sports betting have long been a fixture of American culture, and this phenomenon will only grow as more Americans across the country are legally allowed to gamble. Online casinos make access to all kinds of gambling much more accessible to Internet users.
Likely, we will see an increase in the number of movies and TV shows that focus on the aspect of sports betting and gambling. We will look at movies and shows from the past and more contemporary examples of gambling and sports betting shown on screen.
The League
The most popular contemporary take on sports gambling is FX’s The League. The League was a hit when it first came out in 2009 and capitalized on the popularity of fantasy sports.
The show depicts an old group of friends staying in touch through their fantasy football league. Fantasy football and other fantasy sports have massively grown in popularity in American sports and have engaged many neutral fans in some of the more meaningless games.
In fantasy sports, real players accrue performance-based points, and then fantasy players reap the rewards for picking the best players. The League focuses less on the nitty-gritty of the game, and instead it takes a comedic spin on the idea of friends connecting through America’s latest pastime.
It launched the careers of comedians Nick Kroll and Steve Rannazzisi, and the show is perhaps the best example of modern sports betting and gambling shaping American culture. A new The League may already be in the works as Americans begin to take part in other legal gambling avenues.
Eight Men Out
From the gridiron to the baseball diamond, the 1919 World Series was one of the most impactful sports events in the 20th century. In 1919, The Chicago White Sox were the best team in baseball, but one of the worst paid. So, a gambling syndicate took advantage of the situation and paid eight White Sox players to intentionally lose the series to the Cincinnati Reds.
The events are captured in the 1988 movie Eight Men Out. John Sayles directed the movie starring John Cusack and Charlie Sheen. The movie is based on a 1963 book of the same name.
Even though the movie starred a more well-known cast than The League, it made a loss at the box office. Despite the box office flop, Eight Men Out captures a fear many have about sports betting in America. A fear which the Supreme Court believes to be an insufficient reason to forbid sports betting.
The Gambler
In general, gambling has always been a favorite topic for Hollywood to depict. Movies like Casino, 21, and the Ocean’s series show there is a love affair between the American people and gambling.
The 1974 version of The Gambler is widely regarded as one of the best gambling movies in memory, and it deals with sports gambling in detail. James Caan starred in the movie, and it was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Mark Wahlberg starred in the 2014 remake, but his performance did not impress as much as Caan’s. The modern remake illustrates the influence sports betting still has on American culture. Despite less than stellar reviews, the movie had an opening week of nearly $10 million and turned a profit at the box office.
Gambling and sports betting movies will undoubtedly grow in number and popularity as more Americans participate in the now legalized activity. And, as sports betting spreads from Las Vegas to new states such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey, more Americans will be familiar with the industry.
