Gambling in Pop Culture — Songs and Movies About Gambling

From movies and TV shows to sports and video games, the world of gambling has infiltrated our culture in some form or another. But did you know that gambling isn’t just the purview of professional gamblers in Vegas? That, in fact, gambling is one of the most popular themes in pop culture. There are lots of movies and songs about your favorite casino games featured on CasinoLuck, and they all introduce the gambling world to you from a different angle.

How Is Gambling Featured in Pop Culture?

Although Hollywood’s love of gambling has often had a dark side, it has also helped provide opportunities for some of the brightest filmmakers to share their vision, particularly in the past few decades. The film industry was very different before the 1980s, and there were only a handful of Hollywood studios So they were pretty conservative. That changed in the 1980s, and the industry saw the creation of many different networks and labels. 

Some movies were more focused on issues, while others reflected the cultural zeitgeist of the day, such as the anti-establishment spirit of ’80s Hollywood reflected by the rise of movies like The Breakfast Club. In the ’90s, the industry experienced its first major financial collapse, with the bursting of the bubble known as the Dot-Com Bubble. The entertainment industry struggled to find its footing, but the rise of DVD, TV, online, and other technologies helped it come back stronger.

This new generation of directors and writers produced a new wave of movies and songs that incorporated the themes of today and popular culture. It also brought some of the era’s biggest personalities and trends to Hollywood: from hip-hop culture and social media to the rise of reality TV and the internet. The gambling subgenre was no exception. From ’80s sports and musicals to ’90s video games and sitcoms, we looked back at some of the most notable songs and movies reflecting a gambling theme.

1 – ‘Swingers’ – ‘Swingtown’ (1989)

A remake of the classic film released in 1989, Swingers remains one of the more popular of the genre. It’s probably the most famous of all the movies based on gambling and also the most successful, grossing $75 million at the box office.

In Swingers, the main characters are a group of people from various walks of life who find themselves spending a week together in Las Vegas, and they decide to gamble and have fun. The film, a loose adaptation of the novel by Paul Herman, is a light-hearted comedy that has been parodied many times and has inspired a generation of sports-themed films.

2 – ‘Fletch’ – ‘Roulette’ (1996)

Based on the novel by George Pelecanos and the 1998 movie directed by Tony Scott, Fletch stars the versatile comedian Chevy Chase as an ex-cop in town for the weekend with his ex-partner, and his ex-lover, trying to make amends with his ex-girlfriend and win a bet at a high-stakes game of roulette. If you want to know more about the roulette game and whether it is featured on a gambling site, then it is the right time to check a casino review and have all your questions answered.

The film was a critical and commercial failure, and critics pointed out its flaws as soon as it came out. Chase even called it “a little of this, a little of that, a little Chevy and a little Fletch.” However, it is still remembered for some of its good jokes and references to pop culture. 

3 – ‘Clerks’ – ‘Gambling’ (1994)

The Clerks movie was released in 1994 and is an extreme take on the ’90s sports-themed genre. Set in a small comic shop in New Jersey, it’s the story of two employees, Dante and Randall, and how they get into trouble. One day they overhear a guy talking about how to beat the game of craps, and they start gambling in a strip club on New Year’s Eve. Soon, they’re being chased by the FBI, and they have to hide in a trailer park from a mafia group. When the police finally arrest them, they have to escape out of a window and through a swimming pool. The film is famous for its dark humor and satire but also for its unique style and the voiceover narration by Kevin Smith.

4 – ‘The Hangover’ – ‘All In’ (2009)

The Hangover is a comedy that follows the tale of a group of friends who decide to throw a bachelor party for Phil, who is about to get married, but the bachelor party goes off the rails and ends up in Las Vegas. The night includes various embarrassing and comical events, such as strip poker and a giant game of poker called ‘All In,’ where the men try to fill their pockets with poker chips before throwing in a hundred bucks.

It’s a big hit and a big box office success, grossing over $400 million at the box office. It’s even more successful in the TV ratings and is one of the most-watched movies in the country. There were many other successful films based on the ‘All In’ concept in the years that followed, such as the 2014 Hangover 3, and the two Hangover sequels that came out in 2013 and 2015. If you are a regular visitor of Kiwigambling.co.nz looking for the best casino games, then The Hangover is a movie that you will definitely love