Hollywood has been known to turn to sports betting to try and make a profit for themselves through the medium of film. It has led to some interesting and entertaining results on the big screen.
In general, the types of rogue bookmakers that you see depicted in the movies are a world away from a licensed, regulated bookmaker, including the newest betting sites in the UK that you can find online. With a licence to ramp up the drama, movies lean towards the depiction of betting being a dangerous seedy world.
But it’s far from that of course. Good, safe online betting is a pastime that’s enjoyed by a lot of punters. But that’s not thrilling enough for Hollywood. They aren’t going to make a movie about the average punter picking out their three horse racing selections for a Thursday evening at Wolverhampton. That just isn’t going to produce a blockbuster.
In considering movies to put on the list, the betting content is varied within them. Some, for example, have betting as sub-plots or for character development only. There are not a lot of mentionable films that really have sports betting at the very core. A couple of exceptions are Let It Ride and Bookies which are highlighted below.
The Hustler
Arguably the most famous film ever made about sports betting. Fast Eddie Felson played by Paul Newman is the star of the show as he strives to achieve fame. Granted most of the betting happens at the Pool table itself and not at a licensed bookmaker with best odds. But the action is intense, it’s nerve-wracking and after a slow start builds to a great conclusion.
Eight Men Out
Based on the true story of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, the 2008 film Eight Men Out focuses on the dark side of match-fixing. This turned out to be a huge scandal in baseball, where players of the White Sox were bribed into throwing the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. While betting is a key aspect, the highly acclaimed movie also heavily explores the consequences of the illegal actions with trials.
Uncut Gems
Featuring Adam Sandler, the 2020 film Uncut Gems is another move on the list that features a darker side of betting. In it, Sandler’s character battles with debts and the obsession of chasing big profits at the expense of everything else. It’s not one for family movie night.
Lay the Favorite
The 2012 film Lay the Favorite focuses on betting at sportsbooks in the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas. The cast is strong with Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vince Vaughn. It’s an irreverent comedy.
Let It Ride
As the name suggests, this one is a film about horse racing. It focuses on a character played by Richard Dreyfuss who finds a bit of light through astonishing betting luck. The film explores what it would be like to have all the sports betting luck on your side for one big day. But it’s only one day, making the flick a real rollercoaster of highs and lows that surround it.
Bookies
Another film about sports betting, but this one takes a slightly different approach to anything else on the list. Featuring the Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki, the 2003 film is about college students who set up their own sportsbook, literally handling money inside of library bookies. It gives a good realistic view of the workings of sports betting.
Diggstown
Sports betting on boxing is a key plot point in Diggstown which was released in the early 1990s. The film is a comedy and has something of a cult status about it. A former boxing great is a bet by a con-man, that they have a man who can beat the 10 best fighters in Diggstown in a single day.
Silver Linings Playbook
The Oscar-winning film hit a lot of the right notes when it was released. It somehow manages to merge romance and betting into a fairly neat package. Silver Linings Playbook isn’t completely about sports betting. It’s just one of the plot lines for Robert De Niro who places an unusual bet on one of the other main characters in the film.
Other Movies About Sports Betting
There are other examples of movies that have some kind of sports betting theme within them. There’s the Keanu Reeves flick Hardball, The Gambler, Lay the Favorite, Even Money, Big Shot, Two For the Money and indie flick Smart Money. A lot of the movies on the list are American based.
There are examples of sports betting crossing over into pop culture by being shown in movies. Sports betting can be seen as something personal by punters, who spend time formulating strategies and studying odds.
But the appeal of the pastime stretches out wider than the individual’s world. So it’s not so unusual to see it branch out into something as mainstream as movies. At resources devoted to betting like Legalbet.UK, you can find some useful info on real-life sports betting, such as tips, betting odds and lots more. Online sports betting is so mainstream in and of itself in the modern age.
