Casino gambling and especially casino players are often romanticized. Many movies, including famous stuff like the Bondiana, represent gambling in their own, “movie-ish” way that looks good on screen.
Even your own experience of gambling does not provide enough knowledge of the industry and the people trying to survive in it. If you are into making some bets in a casino resort during your vacation or you like playing online slots at a $1 minimum deposit casino you might be surprised how brutal this casino world can be.
While it is not a secret that all big industries are brutal by definition, these documentaries reviewed below also show how the players perceive and treat the industry and “the system”. It is anything but romantic and makes the viewer ask questions about the ethics and the future of the gambling businesses. According to CasinoHex.it, legal Italian casinos are designed to create a secure and responsible gaming environment, reducing the likelihood of encountering gambling-related issues and ensuring player protection.
However, if you would like to really learn more about different aspects of the casino industry, the following four documentaries released in different years will be useful. Plus, some platforms even offer free bets, allowing viewers to try their luck without an initial deposit while they learn more about the gaming world.
Bet Raise Fold
Looking for a complete gambling documentary about online poker's journey in the 2000s? Bet Raise Fold: The Story of Online Poker is a must-watch then. It explores how online poker appeared and changed with time, and what was the rise of new professional players. The documentary intertwines the lives of three poker players from diverse backgrounds: Danielle, Martin, and Tony, showing how young people are getting into poker.
With online gambling growing so fast in the 2000s, it was easier than ever to join in, drawing in poker fans. The industry lacked regulations and the freedom was unprecedented. "Bet Raise Fold" shows how online poker started and grew, and what it means for modern players today.
Besides taking a personal perspective on online poker from the point of view of different players, the documentary also looks into how running a poker business in the US worked. Different clashes and arguments between gaming clubs and the government are also discussed.
Out of Luck
"Out of Luck," a documentary released back in 2015, offers more of a movie research that invites the viewers to explore American lotteries.
The documentary offers a hypothesis that American lotteries act like giant casinos approved and regulated by the government. The catch with these “casinos” is that these are collective events where the poorest and least educated lose lots of money together.
While it is stated that lotteries give a big part of their incomes to the local communities and charity, it doesn’t change the fact that people literary lose money buying lottery tickets in hopes of a life-changing win.
Now, the documentary reveals that just 15 percent of players contribute about 80 percent of the profits. This takes the viewer to the conclusion that some people inclined to gambling are under the effect of this cognitive bias and they tend to lose the most money in lotteries.
One of the worst parts here is that people are aware that the lotteries are regulated by the government. If the “whole thing” is legal, they think, it is fair and the odds are high. But nothing is farther from the truth. Lotteries in the US are among the biggest and most successful gambling platforms and gambling is never advantageous and profitable for an average gambler.
The documentary shows many personal stories and examples, including a story of a man who ran a store and eventually went bankrupt because he spent a million dollars on lottery tickets. This seems insane but the poorest and the least educated players spend huge sums over time, believing that lottery is harmless fun.
The documentary explores political and economic factors as well and eventually asks the question of whether lotteries can be seen as an appropriate way for governments to raise revenues.
The Best of It
Released in 2016, this documentary unveils the secrets surrounding the lives of professional gamblers and their rise to success. It follows the stories of four sports bettors: Boston, Dink, Banker, and The Shrink. Rather than romanticizing the lifestyle, the film portrays its upsides, downsides, and challenges, sometimes being brutally honest.
In this documentary, the viewers have a chance to follow the bettors along in terms of the psychological aspects of gambling. It is easier to understand what is going on in the mind of a professional gambler and how they think and perceive the world. The mindset of a gambler and their skills in navigating the unpredictable environment of gambling are some of the best things about this documentary.
Cheating Las Vegas
"Cheating Las Vegas" offers a peek into the extreme measures some gamblers take to outsmart the casinos. If you are still a bit romantic and believe that cheating in a casino is something innocent like card counting or “reading” the opponents, prepare for a rough wake-up. “Cheating Las Vegas” is not about the typical casino cheating stories.
People stretch their imaginations for the most unexpected and original decisions to get their profits. You will meet skillful con artists and extremely crafty gamblers in Las Vegas. They not only aim for a one-time win but strive to cheat the system and hack the gambling code as such. The documentary reveals only a tiny bit of means and measures these people use to reach their goals.
