The flashing lights, the sirens, the hum of conversation, and the adventure of putting a bet are all part of the allure of casinos. While gaming has actually been around for centuries, gambling establishments began popping up in Italy in the 17th century. The Casino di Venezia, which opened in 1638 in Venice, is the world's earliest casino, though it was initially understood as Theatre Saint Moses. It provided guests the chance to bet during theatrical production intermissions.

By the 19th century, gambling establishments appeared all over Europe. In the United States, towns like Las Vegas and Reno in Nevada, and Atlantic City in New Jersey, ended up being known for casinos and the notorious ties held to organized crime. Gambling itself had a reputation as a vice that could cause other bad practices.

Hollywood's own fascination with gambling establishments has a long history as well. Classic film "Casablanca" features a casino as part of Rick Blaine's bar. Throughout the next several years, directors like Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Soderbergh attempted their hand at motion pictures about the appeal of betting and the casinos that supported the lifestyle.

OLBG investigated the history of gambling establishments on screen and put together a list of 20 of the very best gambling establishment movies. To be consisted of, films needed to have crucial scenes take location in a gambling establishment, and the film had to have at least a 6.0 on IMDb or a 65 on Metacritic.

ATO Pictures

# 20. 'Casino Jack' (2010 )

- Director: George Hickenlooper

• IMDb user rating: 6.2
• Metascore: 51
• Runtime: 108 minutes
  
  This fictionalized retelling of a true story stars Kevin Spacey as Jack Abramoff, a corrupt Washington D.C. lobbyist inspired by greed and power. Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon stole funds from Native American casinos all while twisting laws for their benefit. In a nod to the 1996 movie "Jerry Maguire," one scene finds Scanlon and Abramoff yelling, "Show me the money!" Actress Kelly Preston who plays Abramoff's wife in the film played Maguire's previous sweetheart as well.
  
  # 19. 'Ocean's Twelve' (2004 )
  
  - Director: Steven Soderbergh
• IMDb user ranking: 6.5
• Metascore: 58
• Runtime: 125 minutes
  
  The follow up to "Ocean's Eleven" finds Danny Ocean adding a partner to his band of burglars as they interact to pull off a number of European heists. Steven Soderbergh directed not just this second movie in what would be a trilogy, but all 3 "Ocean's" installments. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Elliot Gould, and Bruce Willis not just starred in the film, but they likewise had another thing in common-they were all guest stars on the comedy "Friends."
  
  Warner Bros. Pictures # 18. 'Ocean's 11' (1960 )
  
  - Director: Lewis Milestone
• IMDb user score: 6.6
• Metascore: 57
• Runtime: 127 minutes
  
  Featuring the Rat Pack-Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop-" Ocean's 11," focuses on 11 guys who manage an amazing Las Vegas heist. Danny Ocean, played by Sinatra, leads his previous The second world war friends in a strategy to rob several gambling establishments in a single night. This classic film would be remade in 2001 with George Clooney taking over the function of Danny Ocean. Angie Dickinson played Danny Ocean's ex-wife in the 1960 film, while Julia Roberts stepped in for the upgraded variation in 2001.
  
  Eon Productions
  
  # 17. 'Diamonds Are Forever' (1971 )
  
  - Director: Guy Hamilton
• IMDb user ranking: 6.6
• Metascore: 59
• Runtime: 120 minutes
  
  The seventh movie in the James Bond movie franchise, which was based upon the novels by Ian Fleming, stars Sean Connery as 007. The spy jets off to Las Vegas to investigate diamond smuggling and finds a wealthy tycoon and a nefarious plot. Connery was the first star to play James Bond and starred in seven of the movies. The Oscar-nominated movie was shot on area in Las Vegas at a number of casinos consisting of The Riviera, Tropicana Las Vegas, and Circus Circus Las Vegas.
  
  TriStar Pictures
  
  # 16. 'Bugsy' (1991 )
  
  - Director: Barry Levinson
• IMDb user ranking: 6.8
• Metascore: 80
• Runtime: 136 minutes
  
  This film narrated the life of infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel and his considerable role in building contemporary Las Vegas. Starring Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, the 2 would fall in love throughout recording, marry quickly after, and go on to have 4 kids together. The movie was chosen for an astounding 10 Oscars and won two. While "Bugsy" lost for finest picture at the Oscars to "The Silence of the Lambs," it did handle to take home the Golden Globe Award for finest movement picture-drama.
  
  Columbia Pictures
  
  # 15. '21' (2008 )
  
  - Director: Robert Luketic
• IMDb user score: 6.8
• Metascore: 48
• Runtime: 123 minutes
  
  Under the tutelage of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology teacher, six MIT trainees were trained to end up being card counters and made a killing in Las Vegas in this movie, which is loosely based on the unique "Bringing Down the House" by Ben Mezrich. While numerous filming places were in Boston, including the general public Garden, Boston University, and Newbury Street, Las Vegas was also an essential shooting area for "21." According to the Nevada Film Office, shooting happened in lots of Las Vegas gambling establishments, consisting of Planet Hollywood, The Venetian, Caesars Palace, Acid Rock Hotel, and Red Rock Casino.
  
  Lions Gate Entertainment
  
  # 14. 'The Cooler' (2003 )
  
  - Director: Wayne Kramer
• IMDb user rating: 6.9
• Metascore: 69
• Runtime: 101 minutes
  
  An unlucky male is utilized by the mob to cool things down for high rollers who are on a winning streak at a Las Vegas gambling establishment up until he gets lucky in love, altering his own luck at the gambling establishment. Maria Bello, William H. Macy, and Alec Baldwin star in this movie that was primarily shot in Reno, Nevada. Baldwin received both an Oscar and a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor for his function as casino boss .
  
  Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
  
  # 13. 'Ocean's Thirteen' (2007 )
  
  - Director: Steven Soderbergh
• IMDb user ranking: 6.9
• Metascore: 62
• Runtime: 122 minutes
  
  The final movie in the "Ocean's Eleven" trilogy, "Ocean's Thirteen" finds the gang getting together to manage another break-in after one of the initial 11 is double-crossed by casino owner Willy Bank, who is played by famous star Al Pacino. One of the lines in the movie, "You shook Sinatra's hand," is a referral to Frank Sinatra who played Danny Ocean in the initial variation of "Ocean's 11." The expression is suggested as a sort of moral code or gentleman's agreement.
  
  New Line Cinema
  
  # 12. 'Boiler Room' (2000 )
  
  - Director: Ben Younger
• IMDb user ranking: 7.0
• Metascore: 63
• Runtime: 120 minutes
  
  When Seth Davis' father, a judge, captures him running an unlawful gambling establishment from his home, he isn't pleased. Davis, played by Giovanni Ribisi, heads out and gets a job as a broker in a boiler space, which according to Dictionary.com is, "a location where illicit brokers participate in high-pressure selling, over the telephone, of securities of an extremely speculative nature or of dubious worth." The movie was loosely based on the story of Jordan Belfort who was the topic of the 2013 Martin Scorsese movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street," which was likewise the title of Belfort's narrative.
  
  Sony Pictures Classics
  
  # 11. 'Owning Mahowny' (2003 )
  
  - Director: Richard Kwietniowski
• IMDb user score: 7.1
• Metascore: 70
• Runtime: 104 minutes
  
  At the heart of this film is a tale of betting dependency. Based on the real story of Brian Molony, "Owning Mahowny" informs the tale of Dan Mahowny, a bank supervisor, who has access to multimillion dollar accounts that he used to feed his betting routine. The real-life Molony committed bank fraud by embezzling $10.4 million from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The film, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as Mahowny, was filmed in Toronto and Atlantic City, where Molony in fact dropped $1.4 million at a New Jersey casino right before his arrest in 1982.
  
  ARTE
  
  # 10. 'Croupier' (1998 )
  
  - Director: Mike Hodges
• IMDb user score: 7.1
• Metascore: 75
• Runtime: 94 minutes
  
  Aspiring author Jack Manfred gets a job as a croupier, somebody who works the tables at a gambling establishment and handles bets and payments. While Jack does not gamble, his father does, and it is he who gets Jack the task at a London casino. Portrayed by Clive Owen, Jack gets caught up in a love triangle and a plot to cheat the casino before the movie's end. The gambling establishment in the film was really created on an embeded in Germany.
  
  Paramount Pictures
  
  # 9. 'The Gambler' (1974 )
  
  - Director: Karel Reisz
• IMDb user score: 7.2
• Metascore: 65
• Runtime: 111 minutes
  
  James Caan stars as high-stakes gambler and English teacher Axel Freed, who gets so caught up in betting that he uses a shylock his life for security against a loan. This criminal offense thriller earned Caan an Oscar nod for best actor. Screenwriter James Toback has lots of experience with gambling and based the movie's movie script on his own addiction-though Freed's betting appears to be an addiction to the rush and risk instead of to the act of gambling. A 2014 remake of the movie starred Mark Wahlberg in the lead role.
  
  Spelling Goldberg
  
  # 8. 'California Split' (1974 )
  
  - Director: Robert Altman
• IMDb user score: 7.2
• Metascore: 84
• Runtime: 108 minutes
  
  A casual bettor and an expert ended up being good friends and dig themselves deeper into the world of wagering in this movie starring Elliott Gould and George Segal. In a final desperate attempt to win huge, the 2 characters head to Reno, Nevada, for the poker game to end all poker games. "California Split" was the first non-Cinerama movie to use the eight-track stereo for dialogue, permitting the recording of eight different audio channels. The use of this technology strengthened Altman's usage of overlapping discussion, which turned into one of his hallmarks as a director.
  
  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
  
  # 7. 'Hard 8' (1996 )
  
  - Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
• IMDb user rating: 7.2
• Metascore: 78
• Runtime: 101 minutes
  
  " Hard 8" significant director Paul Thomas Anderson's movie debut and was based on his brief film "Coffee & Cigarettes." An expert bettor played by Philip Baker Hall, takes a beginner played by John C. Reilly, under his wing. Things go fine up until the newbie falls for Clementine, a mixed drink waitress played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Several gambling establishments in Reno and Sparks, Nevada, acted as shooting places, consisting of the Nugget Casino Resort.
  
  Miramax
  
  # 6. 'Rounders' (1998 )
  
  - Director: John Dahl
• IMDb user rating: 7.3
• Metascore: 54
• Runtime: 121 minutes
  
  Not just does this movie star Matt Damon and Edward Norton, however the supporting cast is an entertainment market who's who and consists of John Malkovich, John Turturro, Martin Landau, and Famke Janssen. The story finds Damon's character, Mike McDermott, who is a reformed bettor, helping out his good friend, played by Norton, who was just recently launched from jail and who drags McDermott right back into the world he was trying to escape. Much of the film's places were made to appear like gambling establishments or nation clubs, including the imaginary Chesterfield Club in the film.
  
  United Artists
  
  # 5. 'Leaving Las Vegas' (1995 )
  
  - Director: Mike Figgis
• IMDb user rating: 7.5
• Metascore: 82
• Runtime: 111 minutes
  
  Screenwriter and alcoholic Ben Sanderson, played by Nicolas Cage, heads to Las Vegas to consume himself to death. There he satisfies a woman of the street named Sera, represented by Elisabeth Shue, who assures not to interfere with his strategy, though things get complicated when they fall in love. The movie is based on John O'Brien's semi-autobiographical book. O'Brien died at 33, before production on the film began, and according to the author's daddy, the novel served as a morbid suicide note.
  
  Columbia Pictures Industries Inc.
  
  # 4. 'Gilda' (1946 )
  
  - Director: Charles Vidor
• IMDb user ranking: 7.6
• Metascore: n/a
• Runtime: 110 minutes
  
  Starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, this classic film finds a small-time bettor getting caught up in shady organization when he discovers his former fan is married to his current company at a casino in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The film was nominated for the Grand Prize of the Festival for function film at the Cannes Film Festival. Hayworth did not sing a word in the film, however rather, was talented at lip syncing. Anita Ellis was the singing voice behind Gilda.
  
  Warner Bros.
  
  # 3. 'Ocean's Eleven' (2001 )
  
  - Director: Steven Soderbergh
• IMDb user ranking: 7.7
• Metascore: 74
• Runtime: 116 minutes
  
  A remake of the 1960 film starring Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, this version stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt with their own modern-day crew, that includes Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Eddie Jemison, Don Cheadle, Carl Reiner, and Shaobo Qin. Like the original, the remake features Danny Ocean and his pals robbing three gambling establishments at the exact same time. "Ocean's Eleven" got several nominations for best acting ensemble.
  
  Danjaq. LLC/ United Artists/ Columbia Pictures
  
  # 2. 'Casino Royale' (2006 )
  
  - Director: Martin Campbell
• IMDb user ranking: 8.0
• Metascore: 80
• Runtime: 144 minutes
  
  In his first objective as incredibly spy 007, Daniel Craig as James Bond must defeat an evil lender at Casino Royale, Montenegro, at high-stakes poker. The movie acts as Bond's origin story though it was the 21st film in the franchise and the third movie adaptation of Ian Fleming's first Bond book. "Casino Royale" was generally shot in the Czech Republic spa-town of Karlovy Vary.
  
  Universal Pictures
  
  # 1. 'Casino' (1995 )
  
  - Director: Martin Scorsese
• IMDb user rating: 8.2
• Metascore: 73
• Runtime: 178 minutes
  
  This movie was the final one for Saul Bass who created the title sequence. Bass was well known for his work that not only consisted of a number of Scorsese movies consisting of "GoodFellas," and "Cape Fear," but classics such as "Psycho" and "Spartacus." Starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone, "Casino" was motivated by orderly criminal offense associate and gambling establishment supervisor Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and concentrates on the relationship between a casino executive and a mob enforcer. Pursuing credibility, Scorsese recorded at the Las Vegas Riviera, occupying a small area of the gambling establishment while genuine gambling was taking location.