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Casinos in Hollywood: Movies and TV shows
Hollywood and American casinos - the union that shaped the global image of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. On the screen, game halls either shine with glamor or turn into a chess game with fate: mafia and corporations, robberies and basic strategy, friendly trips and personal dramas. Below is a map of the main films and TV series, motifs and real places, thanks to which "screen Vegas" has become an independent genre.
Key motives and "casino archetypes"
1. "Underground and Power" is a criminal chronicle of the formation of Las Vegas (the power of money, "sky," regulators).
2. "Robbery with a perfect plan" - virtuoso heists against impregnable resorts.
3. "Playing like mathematics" - card count, probability, "fine line" advantage.
4. Vegas as Adventure is a comedy and road movie about friendship, freedom and... hangover.
5. "Television poker/live" - from niche to popular culture.
Big screen milestones: What to watch first
Crime sagas and "mafia" Vegas
"Casino" (1995, Martin Scorsese). The standard of the genre: rise & fall of the casino manager and "curator" from the mafia, the device of the "old" Strip, the discipline of pit-outs and the fragility of empires. The film largely set the visual code for the luxury rooms on the screen.
«Bugsy» (1991). The romanticized story of Bugsy Siegel and the early "Flamingo": the transition from roadside motels to icon resorts.
"The Godfather II" (1974). Cuban line, Corleone's raiding ambitions, and allusions to Vegas's ties to "big politics."
"Robbing the Casino": The Aesthetic of Perfectly Planned Chaos
«Ocean’s Eleven» (2001) / «Twelve» / «Thirteen». Glossy rebranding of Vegas: Bellagio, Mirage, MGM - locations themselves became stars. The editing, humor and choreography of the "impossible plan" set a wave of imitations.
"Now You See Me 2" (2016) - already at the junction of heist and show illusions; casino - as a stage for security tricks.
"Player Advantage": Math, Counting and Ethics
«21» (2008). A screen version of the history of the MIT team: card count, signals, risk/reward - and the price of success.
«Rain Man» (1988). Iconic blackjack scene at Caesars Palace: not about the score, but about the cultural code of Vegas.
«Rounders» (1998). Although this is poker outside the casino, the film launched a poker boom and gave the language that the TV show and WSOP later spoke.
Comedies and "Vegas as an Adventure"
«The Hangover» (2009). Postmodern about the bachelor party and memory loss turned Caesars Palace into a meme and once again proved: Vegas is a character in itself.
"Viva Las Vegas" (1964) is an early musical myth of the city (before the era of megacourts), important for pop culture.
Bond and casino aesthetics
«Casino Royale» (2006). Not the USA, but canonized the modern aesthetics of high-stakes: elegance, psychology, body movements at the table, which later copied brands and shows.
TV series and TV: from casino duty to poker prime time
Casino and resort series
«Las Vegas» (NBC, 2003–2008). "Production drama" of a major resort: security, VIP guests, pit management, internal investigations - a rare series that shows the everyday "kitchen" of the facility.
«CSI: Crime Scene Investigation» (2000-е). Vegas as a forensics set; numerous casino series have added to the procedural genre.
«Ozark» (2017–2022). River casino-catamaran and financial schemes - a view of casinos as a tool of laundering and politics (although the setting is not Vegas).
Casino cameos and mini-arches are found everywhere from Better Call Saul to sitcoms: the industry has become a "one-stop" scene for conflict and temptation.
Poker as television
WSOP broadcasts (ESPN era → further other networks) turned poker into prime time: hole-cam, narrative "outs" and hero amateurs.
"High Stakes Poker," "Poker After Dark" - studio cash games with stars fixed the language of a telepocker: timings, graphics, drama of banks.
Real locations and "kinogeography"
Bellagio - the final scene of "Ocean's Eleven" at the fountains became a postcard of the city.
Caesars Palace - "Rain Man" and "The Hangover" cemented the brand in the mass consciousness.
The Riviera - one of the working "movie pavilions" of Vegas (including for "Casino"), later demolished; personnel - a historical chronicle of disappeared architecture.
Fremont Street/Downtown is a vibrant alternative to Streep in neo-noir, commercials and indie cinema.
How Hollywood changed the industry - and vice versa
Destination marketing. After "Ocean's Eleven" and "The Hangover," the city received a surge of "film tourism": people go "to locations."
Visual standards. Large studios and resorts themselves copy from each other the set design of pits, color, lighting, the work of cameras in live shows (including live casinos online).
Responsible play. Modern scenarios increasingly add a line of risks - debts, addictions, compliance - moving away from the "unpunished" romanticism of the 60s and 80s.
15 notable titles "for the shelf"
1. Casino (1995) - chronicle of the "old" Strip.
2. Bugsy (1991) - the birth of Flamingo glamour.
3. Ocean's Eleven (2001) is the pinnacle of heist gloss.
4. Ocean's Thirteen (2007) - revenge against the owner of the resort.
5. The Hangover (2009) - Vegas as a chaos adventure.
6. 21 (2008) - card count and the consequence of success.
7. Rain Man (1988) is the scene symbol of Caesars Palace.
8. Rounders (1998) - the forerunner of the poker boom.
9. Viva Las Vegas (1964) is an early myth of the city.
10. The Cooler (2003) - A "cold" look at luck in Vegas.
11. Hard Eight/Sydney (1996) is a neo-noir about a casino mentor.
12. Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - Bondiana and early Streep.
13. Mississippi Grind (2015) - the road of players (although not about Vegas, but about the American game).
14. Molly's Game (2017) - elite private games as a cultural phenomenon.
15. Lucky You (2007) is a melodrama set against the backdrop of the Vegas poker scene.
How to watch "about the casino" with interest and benefit
Notice the mechanics. Where is the real game (rules, limits, dealer behavior), and where is the drama?
Compare eras. "Casino" and "Las Vegas" show different stages of the industry: from "gray schemes" to corporate compliance and security.
Separate myth from practice. In life, the advantages of card counting are much more modest, and the control is stricter; "perfect" heists are an artistic trick.
Go to locations. When planning a trip to the United States, you can make a "movie route" through real hotels and streets - another way to survive Vegas.
Hollywood has made casinos a powerful cultural symbol of America. From the harsh chronicles of Casino to the brilliant scams of Ocean's Eleven, from the stony face of the dealer to the friendly madness of The Hangover, the screen showed all facets of the industry: money, risk, style, responsibility. And the resort cities themselves - Las Vegas and Atlantic City - have learned to turn film language into marketing, architecture and guest experience. As a result, "casino in Hollywood" is no longer just a background, but an independent genre that continues to influence tourism and how the world imagines the American dream "for good luck."