Sports gambling has been a focal point of many great movies. While fans of the based-on-real-life film Casino mainly remember Ace Rothstein as the head of the Tangiers, the story also tells his backstory as a sports betting savant and a bookie. The writers nailed it. They may have added a few minor embellishments in terms of Ace’s abilities for the sake of storytelling, but the film did a wonderful job of staying true to reality.
Owning Mahowny
Generally speaking, sports betting movies are steeped in realism and true to life despite often having a bit of artistic licence involved. The 2003 movie Owning Mahowny starring Philip Seymour Hoffman is a prime example. Even though a lot of the action takes place in casinos, sports betting plays a huge role in Dan Mahowny’s out-of-control gambling addiction. While a lot of bettors use sites like Sky Bet Ireland and other resources to make informed bets, Mahowny’s approach was completely reckless and entirely impulsive.
Perhaps the most realistic part of the film happens when Mahowny is watching a basketball game with his girlfriend and a couple of friends. He tells them that he needs his team to win. When the team he bet on dramatically wins by a single point, Mahowny becomes sullen and dour. When asked what the problem was, he reveals that he had bet the spread and needed his team to win by two points. Almost all experienced sports bettors can relate to this sinking feeling. Of course, Mahowny likely had a lot more money at stake than the average punter.
Eight Men Out
Another film that captured the true essence of the dark side of the sports betting industry was Eight Men Out. Released in 1988, the film recounts the tale of the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Admittedly, some of the on-screen baseball action was a bit of a stretch, but the parts involving the mobsters, bookies, and other bad actors were very accurate. If you’ve ever wondered how it would ever be possible to fix a World Series or other major sporting event, then Eight Men Out draws a pretty detailed picture. Of course, the chances of something similar happening in a major sport in the modern world are very remote.
Two for the Money
Two for the Money starring Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey examines a different corner of the sports betting world. This 2005 movie focuses on an ex-college quarterback who becomes a tout after his football career ends prematurely due to a catastrophic injury. As is often the case, a tout will dispense advice on which teams to bet on. As you would expect, this advice always comes with a price, and the touts themselves rarely bet on the games.
Two for the Money is based on the real-life story of Brandon Lang. However, the writers took a lot of dramatic liberties to spice things up. Nevertheless, the portrayal of touts and how they operate was spot on despite not getting too deep into some of the chicanery that goes on in the tout business.
Less Believable, But Still With a Degree of Realism
On the flip side, not all sports betting movies are as believable. While it was certainly entertaining and worth the watch, 2003’s Bookies was more than a little contrived. The idea of three college kids finding success as bookmakers isn’t impossible, but the way that these kids reached their pinnacle and ultimate demise doesn’t hold a lot of water. Though it’s a fictional story, it does offer a certain degree of realism.
The thing with featuring sports gambling in movies is that the writers need to have a solid grasp on how it works. If they don’t, the scenes they create simply won’t be believable. Especially if the audience happens to be experienced bettors. Even though it had nothing to do with sports betting, a great example of this would be the poker scene in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale. OK, four dudes going all-in isn’t uncommon. However, the scene loses all credibility with the way the famous hand plays out. One guy’s got a nut flush, the next has a full house while the next guy, Le Chiffre, has a bigger full house. Then we have Bond revealing a straight flush to win the hand. This outcome is on par with one of those Bugs Bunny cartoons in which one guy has five aces and Bugs has six aces. It insults the audience.
Still, most filmmakers do a reasonably good job of realistically portraying sports gambling in movies. Most offer an honest portrayal. Even Money, Silver Linings Playbook, and the recently released Uncut Gems are a few of the more recent examples of sports betting depicted properly. Even the 1974 version of The Gambler got it right for the most part although the 2014 remake starring Mark Wahlberg whiffed spectacularly.
Then again, movies are supposed to be entertaining and, as such, don’t always have to be accurate to be enjoyable.