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Hollywood has always made it a clear point to give fans either the most over the top version or the most realistic view of everyday lives. The simple idea of sitting down and watching a film, be it in a theater or at the comfort of your living room can range from a fun couple of hours to kill to a life changing experience. With Hollywood there is always a fixation on being able to humanize certain taboo topics and with sports betting it’s not the exception. There’s a stigma about the world of wagering on sports events and the people in it but there’s also some great movies that have come out of it so here are three of our favorite movies from that world.
Casino
There has always been a tie between the betting business and the mafia and Hollywood has made sure to put it on the biggest screens for fans to enjoy. While the debate between fans will never end as to which movie is the absolute best mob related movie (Goodfellas, just saying) if there’s one movie that truly depicts a real life sports betting story is Martin Scorsese’s Casino.
Frank “Ace” Rothstein’s story as a first ethical individual who quickly became one of the sharpest oddsmakers of his time is a true classic for online betting fans. His true expertise with numbers and odds in sporting events made him a top priority for the organized crime families in Chicago to put him in charge of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas. Rothstein’s skills creating profit margins and managing a betting operation was without competition.
De Niro’s character in the movie said: “I had sports betting down so good, I was given paradise on Earth” and he wasn’t lying as in real life Ace Rothstein ended up establishing the first ever legal sportsbook in the United States in 1976. A true classic for mob movie fans as well as betting movie fans.
Eight Men Out
“Shoeless” Joe Jackson is not just a character in the movie “Field of Dreams”. Joe Jackson, depicted as a baseball player looking for redemption in the Kevin Costner classic is one of the most famous baseball players to ever be involved in the most famous scandal in MLB history, the 1919 World Series. This movie revolves around the eight Chicago White Sox players who conspired with an illicit betting ring to throw the series against the underdogs Cincinnati Reds.
While the film centered around the poor management that White Sox Owner Charles Comiskey ran, treating his players like near thrash, it also talks volumes about the need for regulating sports betting in the United States, something that is well underway to finally happening. This movie ends up giving a view of how much pro sports, sportsbooks and betting on sporting events has progressed over time.
Two For The Money
If looking for a movie that depicts the more human side of sports betting and what people who are involved in this world go through then “Two For The Money” is your best pick. This movie is a “true story” of Brandon Lang, a once college football start turned sports handicapper. The film does a great job showing the emotions of pro sports bettors and it’s a fun take on the ambitious characters in the sports betting industry.
In the movie people are shown that betting fans are human, just like us. They go through highs and lows, when they win they win big and when they lose well, you can imagine. If you want to understand the day to day of the sports betting life, especially now when online betting has become such a hit then this movie is the best pick to go with and maybe afterwards wager a buck or two on your favorite team.
