While nothing can quite match the real highs and lows of both brick-and-mortar casinos or online gambling, cinema offers a unique way to experience a variety of gambling narratives. And there’s no better platform for watching gambling films than Netflix. Over the years, Netflix’s catalog of gambling movies has grown, featuring old favorites like Vegas Vacation(1997), Croupier (1998), Wild Card (2015), and Animal World (2018). If you’re looking for some excellent gambling films to binge-watch, check out our list of the best Netflix gambling movies available as of this writing:
Win It All
- Year Released: 2017
- Streaming Release: April 7, 2017
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Language: English
- Director: Joe Swanberg
- Writers: Jack Johnson, Joe Swanberg
- Runtime: 1 hour, 28 minutes
- IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
Plot Summary: Gambling addict Eddie Garrett (Jake Johnson) is asked to hold onto $50,000 by a Chicago criminal while he serves time behind bars. Eddie, who works as a parking lot attendant outside Wrigley Field, can’t resist the temptation and dips into the money, losing it early in the film.
Michael, the criminal, promises to pay Eddie $10,000 to watch a mysterious duffel bag for six months. Unable to resist, Eddie opens the bag, finds the money along with several strange objects, and uses the cash, setting off a series of events.
Directed, edited, and co-written by Joe Swanberg, this fun Netflix gambling movie premiered on March 11, 2017, at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film, media, and music festival. Eddie tries to rebuild his life and falls in love with Eva (Aislinn Derbez), while his sponsor Gene (Keegan-Michael Key) advises him to join a $15,000 buy-in game at a casino after Eddie tells him he’s down over $21,000. Gene initially chastises Eddie but decides to help him.
Eddie attends gambling counseling and gets a job from his brother Ron (Joe Lo Truglio) to try to make the $20K. However, Michael gets released from prison early and demands his bag back, leading to even more complications.
Though the gambling is primarily limited to the film’s end, Win It All is a Netflix gambling movie worth watching.
21
- Year Released: 2008
- Genre: Drama
- Language: English
- Director: Robert Luketic
- Screenplay: Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb
- Runtime: 2 hours, 3 minutes
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Plot Summary: 21 is a dramatic retelling based on Ben Mezrich’s book Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions (2003). The movie follows six MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) students who are trained in the art of card-counting to beat Las Vegas casinos.
The film stars Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Jim Sturgess, Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira, Kieu Chinh, and Jacob Pitts. 21 tells the true story of these students’ attempts to win big in Vegas by outsmarting the system with their card-counting skills.
Nominated for the People’s Choice Award for Best Drama in 2009, 21 showcases the students’ initial success in beating the casinos. However, the plot thickens as they face increasing challenges and risks. The movie captures the thrill and danger of high-stakes gambling and the consequences that come with it.
Upon its release, 21 topped the box office in both the US and Canada during its opening and second weekends. To date, this film has grossed $159,808,370 worldwide. A collaboration between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Netflix, 21 is a must-watch for those interested in gambling stories.
Molly’s Game
- Year Released: 2018
- Genre: Biographical Crime Drama
- Language: English
- Director: Aaron Sorkin
- Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin
- Producers: Mark Gordon, Amy Pascal, Matt Jackson
- Runtime: 2 hours, 20 minutes
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Plot Summary: Molly’s Game is based on the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who becomes the organizer of the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker games. The film stars Jessica Chastain as Molly Bloom, alongside Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, and Michael Cera.
After sustaining a career-ending injury while training for Mogul Skiing for the 2002 Winter Olympics, Bloom decides to take a year off. She moves to Los Angeles and works as a bottle service waitress instead of immediately attending law school. In LA, Bloom meets a real estate developer named Dean, who hires her as his office manager. She soon begins running Dean’s underground poker games, which involve large stakes and celebrities at “The Cobra Lounge.”
As Bloom becomes more independent and closer to a mysterious player known as Player X, Dean fires her. Undeterred, Molly uses her contacts and confidence to open her own underground poker games out of a rented hotel penthouse. Her games attract wealthy and famous players, leading to immense success and eventual legal trouble.
Directed and written by Aaron Sorkin, Molly’s Game had a $30 million budget and grossed $59.3 million at the box office. This STX Entertainment and Sierra/Affinity distributed film is a compelling addition to Netflix’s selection of gambling movies and is well worth watching for its gripping portrayal of ambition, risk, and the consequences of high-stakes gambling.
Casino Royale
- Year Released: 2006
- Genre: Spy
- Language: English
- Director: Martin Campbell
- Screenplay: Paul Haggis, Neil Purvis, Robert Wade
- Runtime: 2 hours, 24 minutes
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
Plot Summary: Casino Royale is the 21st film in the Eon Productions James Bond series and marks Daniel Craig’s first appearance as the iconic British spy, James Bond. In this high-stakes spy thriller, Agent 007 is on a mission to bankrupt terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) in a game of high-stakes poker at the Casino Royale.
The movie had its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in the UK on November 12, 2006, and debuted in US theaters a day later. Casino Royale was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2006, earning over $616 million worldwide.
In this Netflix gambling movie, Bond battles Le Chiffre in various locations, including Madagascar and Montenegro. However, the actual filming took place in the Bahamas and the Czech Republic. The plot follows Bond as he navigates through a series of dangerous confrontations and intense poker games, showcasing his skills and resilience.
Based on Ian Fleming’s novel, Casino Royale was first adapted into a film in 1967 with David Niven as James Bond. While the 2006 version is a more serious and action-packed take on the story, the original film also offers an entertaining look at the early adaptation of the beloved spy character.
Casino Royale is a must-watch for fans of the James Bond series and those who enjoy thrilling gambling movies.
Familiye
- Year Released: 2017
- Streaming Release: May 1, 2019
- Genre: Crime, Drama
- Language: German
- Directors: Sedat Kirtan, Kubilay Sarikaya
- Screenplay: Sedat Kirtan, Kubilay Sarikaya
- Producer: Moritz Bleibtreu
- Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes
- IMDb Rating: 4/10
Familiye is a poignant black-and-white narrative centered around Danyal Tanis (Kubilay Sarikaya), an ex-convict striving to keep his troubled family intact in Germany following the death of their parents.
Danyal faces the challenge of dealing with his brother Miko (Arnel Taci), who has a compulsive gambling problem and is burdened with debts, and his other brother Muhammed (Muhammed Kirtan), who has Down Syndrome and is at risk of being placed in a public facility.
In an attempt to set things right, the eldest brother works to clear Miko’s debts and prevent Muhammed’s relocation. While the soundtrack of Familiye is exceptional, the fact that it’s in German might make it difficult for non-fluent viewers to fully appreciate unless they are comfortable with subtitles.
