Casinos have been a suitable backdrop for some of the most iconic films of the 20th century. Casablanca, Casino, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and comedy films like The Hangover are great examples. However, these are all classics of global cinema– or more specifically, American cinema.
If we zoom into this market, the rise of Irish online casinos over the last decade has led more people to wonder whether there has been a crossover in Irish cinema or TV that captures a similar vibe to some of these timeless classics.
Whether big or small, there have been Irish films that have delved into the world of gambling and casino gaming over the last few decades. So, today, we are going to look at them, how well they were received, and whether or not they made their mark in the broader context of Irish moviemaking.
The current dynamic of the online casino gaming market
Obviously, online casinos don’t have the same aura or appeal as a Martin Scorsese film. While that’s not to say that online casinos in Ireland don’t have a certain charm, they are hardly the best setting for a film story or an engrossing storyline.
While the Irish casino feel may have moved online over the last decade, there’s still a market for those brick and mortar venues. There are conventional casino players and online casino players. For those who enjoy the feel and aura of a conventional casino, online casinos cannot replicate it, despite how popular they are getting in the broader market.
Currently, the Irish casino feel is undergoing an entirely digital transformation. The new frontier is online, and while the old frontier lacked the sort of tradition and depth we commonly associate with gambling meccas like Las Vegas, that’s not to say we Irish don’t have a soft spot for a bet or two.
Defining the Irish casino feel within a movie setting
In Ireland, the idea that films could accurately represent the Irish casino feel is quite difficult to consider, especially given the dynamics that have underpinned the industry. Unlike in the UK and the US, conventional casinos are prohibited from operating in Ireland.
We know that the growth of private clubs and the regulatory grey area in which they operate certainly has a casino-like feel. Still, unlike in the UK and the US, there is no deep-rooted casino culture that has been embedded for decades. We’ve also seen some of the most iconic names in cinema, such as Daniel Craig as James Bond, swanning around casinos around the world.
As Craig’s tenure as 007 comes to an end with his last film, No Time to Die, Irishman Paul Mescal has been touted as a potential replacement for Ian Fleming’s iconic creation. However, the bookmakers do have him ranked as an outsider after Callum Turner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James.
Although Pierce Brosnan, an Irishman, has played Bond and has featured in casino games in the films he starred in in the past, the idea that an Irishman could take on the role again is not too far from the realms of possibility. While Brosnan’s depictions of Bond were mixed, and according to some movie critics, have not aged well over time, there are plenty of examples of Irish actors appearing in the casino in films they’re in, but there’s not so much of an Irish casino feel.
Traditional depictions in film and TV
While there are countless homages to classic TV and movie characters in the world of slot gaming, and many films have granted their image rights to casino game design companies, actual films and representations of Irish casino gaming are non-existent simply because Ireland has never had the culture or the number of casinos that helped to add the allure and aura we’ve seen in casinos in other parts of the world.
Yes, we’ve seen the rise of online casinos inject a new angle into this market. While there are plenty of people in Ireland who enjoy playing casino games, it is now very much an activity done at home, rather than going to a conventional casino to take advantage of what it has to offer.
Those Irish casino gamers who have a particular interest in the look and feel of a conventional casino will often travel to the UK, Europe or to Las Vegas for a weekend.
Admittedly, the landscape of online casinos has forced conventional casinos to adapt, so while the Irish casino landscape might have skipped the traditional building blocks that the sectors in the UK and the US had, it is now catching up as people all over Ireland seek out online platforms for their gaming.
Final thoughts
It sounds almost as though Ireland does not have the film history or quality to have delved into the casino gaming genre, but this is simply not the case. There aren’t many casino films set in the UK, yet there are dozens of high-profile casinos there.
The same applies throughout Europe. Aside from Scorsese’s classic Casino, there are not many films that really capture the feel of a casino floor. Given that Ireland has never had that culture, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that there aren’t actually any films that accurately represent the Irish casino feel. Maybe there’s a gap in the market for an Irish version of The Hangover? Who knows.