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It shouldn’t be surprising that Hollywood are fascinating about the world of betting on sport. Why wouldn’t they?
Sports betting movies capture the attention of many who like watching sport and have the added adrenaline given by a wager. In this article, we have listed, with the help of betting experts at bettingoffers.cash, the best 5 betting movies that you shouldn’t miss. Enjoy.
1. Casino (1995)
Martin Scorsese is not new into delving deep into the fringes of American society. After all, he directed classics like Mean Streets, Goodfellas, The Gangs of New York and The Departed.
Casino is based on the true story of Frank ‘Ace’ Rothstein which is played in the movie by Robert De Niro. The film is an epic investigation of organised crime in Las Vegas casinos in the 1970s.
Ace is one of the best oddsmakers of his era. He has excellent expertise and organisational ability and for this reason, the crime families in Chicago decide to put him in charge of the most affluent Casinos in Las Vegas. He has fantastic skills in generating profit and generally in managing gambling operations.
Ace Rothstein had a true fascination with sports betting and he went on to establish himself as the first legal sportsbook in American. He operated the business inside one of the casinos in 1976.
Surely Casino isn’t a light movie as Scorsese is investigating the different characters carefully. In the movie, sports betting is seen as something done by society’s deviants. This is surely in contrast to the legitimate world of sportsbooks today where odds are even displayed on reputable channels like the BBC or the CNN.
Towards the end of the movie, Ace says that the big corporations are taking over both in Las Vegas and in sports betting in general. Ultimately this is a correct view with organised crime that is nowadays a thing of the past in highly regulated betting markets like the UK.
The movie has largely benefited the industry as it has shown the progress that have been made in the last 40 years. Today’s world of gambling is a lot less violent compared with the one portrayed in Casino and ultimately is a lot more profitable for the legitimate parties involved.
2. The Color of Money (1986)
Today we have a different view of ‘sportbetting’ compared with the 1980’s. Nowadays if we say ‘sharps’, we think about those placing thousands of different bets with an algorithm from the safety of their computers. In the 1980s people saw sports punters as seedy characters who were roaming from pool hall to pool hall smelling of tobacco.
In the Color of Money the professional punters aren’t just wagering for profit. They are interested in pride, morality and identity as much as they are for cash.
In the movie, we have a fascinating portrayal of the psychology of the bettors which is made more vivid by the great interpretation of stars like Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. Watching The Color of Money is surely worth your time.
3. Eight Men Out (1988)
This movie is about one of the most famous controversies in sports history. The 1919 World Series. In the movie, the protagonists are the eight Chicago White Sox players who got lifetime bans from the MLB as they did conspire with an illicit betting ring. Even if they were heavily favoured the Chicago White Sox lost the series over 8 games.
The most exciting part is that Eight Men Out doesn’t condemn too much the players but more the Chicago White Sox owner Charles Comiskey. He did treat his players very badly and apparently even gave them flat champagne when they won the pennant in 1917.
The players are more seen as sympathetic figures who are victims of the situations. The movie is all about the importance of regulation and integrity in the relation between sports and sports betting.
In the movie we can see clearly that if bookmakers don’t have a license and are made accountable for their actions, they can wrongly influence sporting events. By looking at Eight men Out we can clearly see how much progress has been made in 100 years in how the matter is handled.
4. Lay the Favorite (2012)
The movie is based on Beth Raymer’s true story. The movie is focused on the thrill-seeking aspect of professional punters. Beth has a great aptitude for sports betting. She meets Dirk, who is played by Bruce Willis. He decides to give her a spot at his sports betting shop. Beth takes on the challenge and becomes full time ‘sharp’.
Beth Raymer has also got an MFA from Columbia University and has dedicated her life to investigate legal offshore gambling companies and sportsbook.
The work done by Raymer has gone a long way to eliminate the idea that sports bettors are just low-life gamblers. It has instead promoted the view that they are just people seeking a life full of endless possibilities.
The movie has gone a long way in dispelling the negative stereotypes around sportsbetting.
5. Two for the Money (2005)
This is a semi-true story of former college football star who becomes an expert sports handicapper. He is called Brandon Land. He has a great talent of picking the winners. Instead of betting themselves they are selling their handicapping services to sports bettors.
The movie is focused on the business of sportsbetting, and it is starring the likes of Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey.
Similarly to everyone else also professional sports bettors go through highs and lows and have to go through challenging moments to succeed.
