Casinos in Popular Culture
Casinos are iconic for the luxury they offer and the rewards of extreme amounts of money, and so it is no surprise that they are often portrayed and glamourised in popular culture, with a multitude of films revolving around them.
Whether it is a way to break in and take a casino for all its worth in the popular Ocean’s films, counting your way to an early retirement in the card counting blackjack film 21, exploring the dark and seedy mafia dominated underworld of casinos, in the aptly titled Casino, or simply being the deadliest man in the house with James Bond.
There are more films than you can imagine which are centred around casinos, and why wouldn’t there be? They offer the things that people dream of, untold fortunes and a life of luxury.
Films aren’t the only source of media that uses casinos as its focal point however. Books have been written, both on non-fiction and fiction, detailing escapades and daring attempts to illegitimately take control of a casino’s profits. The book “How to bring down the house” is what the popular film 21 was based on, with the book itself claiming to be a true account of how six MIT students took Vegas casinos for millions of dollars.
Casinos offer us something the majority of us cannot get from real life; they offer lavish surroundings and untold entertainment. It is the lure of winning big that draws us in, as well as the bright lights and spectrum of colours dancing around our eyes and we can’t help it. There is something within us all that can’t resist the temptation of placing a small bet now and again, and so why not experience that on a grander scale by witnessing what casinos have to offer?
