Gambling has expanded and spilt over into our pop culture, with movies, songs, video games, and social media taking on the challenge of portraying the good, the bad, and the ugly of this old as time form of entertainment.
Given the ever-present technology at our fingertips, one doesn’t have to book an expensive flight to savour the world of gambling in Monaco or Macau. It takes one click and a trustworthy casino reviewer like Kasyno Polska to locate a reliable online casino and start spinning.
Today’s article will focus on the greatest depictions of gambling in movies, music, and social media. Let’s take a brief break and explore gambling in our culture.
Gambling in Movies: The Thrill Behind the Silver Screen
Movie studios and directors can create something extraordinary and tell a story that lasts in our memories. Many real-life scenarios and imaginary plots have been screened and played in Hollywood, so let’s check out some of the best.
Molly’s Game (2017)
Focusing on a real-life story about a promising Olympian skier, Molly Bloom, who, after an injury, starts exploring different possibilities, hosting the most notorious underground gambling poker parties.
A lot is at stake, but “The Poker Princess” eventually learns that the thrill of the game and the stake bind poker enthusiasts together. This movie is based on a memoir by Molly Bloom herself, and it tells her story after she lost it all with the FBI investigation into her.
Rounders (1998)
Another brilliant movie putting the game of poker in its central focus is this 90’s classic, starring Matt Damon in the beautifully portrayed character of Mike McDermott, a young, bright and good-looking guy who wants to test his nerve and skill making something on the side.
This movie centres around the potential threats of illegal or underground poker gambling. If the house doesn’t win, the players who do will eventually face challenging problems with the underground mobs.
The Gambler (2014)
One of Mark Wahlberg’s most underrated movies, the Gambler, is a fictional story that focuses on the dark side of gambling and what happens when it becomes an addiction. This high roller from a prospective and financially wealthy family loses all family and friend bonds just for the sake of gaming. The movie brings tension and adrenaline while looking at his character, making insane high bets to stay in the game.
Gambling in Books and Literature
Long before movies, there were books and plays. One of the greatest portrayals of gambling in literature is Dostoevsky’s The Gambler. In it, Dostoevsky takes a psychological dive into the mind of a compulsive gamble. Often combining life-threatening stories and exploring societal bonds through the acts of gambling, this novel is a psychological masterpiece about gambling.
Then, there’s, of course, The Great Gatsby, a novel by F.Scott Fitzgerald, where gambling is portrayed as a game that’s a necessity at big parties and aristocratic meetings, as a symbol of the psychological advance of the wealthy and powerful men (and even women) in the early 1900s society.
Music and The Thrill of Gambling
Gambling in music might represent the game itself or be a metaphor for life’s struggles. Music lyrics and poetry are quite alike, and you can rarely tell the difference between metaphors and the truth.
Let’s look back on the anthem The Gambler performed by Kenny Rogers. We can find a resemblance between the tricks and psychology of a poker game and life’s true wisdom: when you are anxious and anticipate, but the smartest move to make is to wait and be still and patient.
“You’ve got to know when to hold’em, know when to fold ’em” is a power line that can be translated in both, an excellent poke game, and what life brings on the table.
Of course, the notorious Viva Las Vegas, performed by the King himself, Elvis Presley, is a unique ode celebrating Las Vegas, the city of Sin, as they call it. Presley’s courageous and enthusiastic voice praises this culture, and in pop culture, it is seen as one of the first ground-breaking gestures that openly discuss the world of gambling.
Social Media and Today’s Global Gambling Perception
Aside from the written words, TV shows, movies, and music, social media, online platforms, and games significantly influence how society perceives gambling today.
“Influencers tend to glamorise big wins over losses. At the same time, some educational and motivational speakers recognize the greatest downfalls as a new beginning, opening up to gambling as a habit and normalising its downside of making losses,” shares KasynoPolska’s expert in the field of gambling Tobiasz Bartosz.
This constant exposure, especially among the youngest audience on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, blurs the line between entertainment and gambling, naturally embedding it into daily life.
Conclusion
Ultimately, while gambling has downsides and asks for a conscious and responsible approach, it is undeniably one of pop culture’s most thrilling and truly enchanting settings. It adds to the feeling of excitement, risk, and adventure. A masterful depiction of gambling in art is worth its due admiration.
That being said, the reality of gambling is that one should balance out the thrill with coolheadedness and set limits on spending as well as know when and how to stop if need be. Savour the depictions of gambling in mainstream culture, spin the wheels and have fun by playing responsibly at all times.