They might seem like a bit of a niche genre, but gambling has found itself at the heart of some of the biggest movies of all time. Some of them, like 21, have a plot that’s intrinsically linked with gambling, while others like The Hangover simply use a casino for a few scenes.

The study was compiled by Kongebonus, where the team carefully analysed each film on its unique weighing system.

The countdown begins…

Rank	Movie	Release Year	IMDb score	Meta-score	Tomato-meter	Rotten Tomatoes	Earnings $	Total Score
69	Lucky Numbers	2000	5.10	31	23	19	10,890,222	25.19
68	Echelon Conspiracy	2009	5.70	26	8	31	2,186,782	28.68
67	Casino Jack	2010	6.20	51	39	34	1,230,933	28.94
66	13 Sins	2014	6.30	44	66	45	826,913	31.54
65	Wild Card	2015	5.60	40	32	29	6,738,764	31.69
64	Let It Ride	1989	6.80	33	27	76	4,973,285	33.05
63	The House	2017	5.60	30	20	35	34,284,504	34.42
62	Criminal	2004	6.40	61	69	57	1,398,053	35.05
61	Lucky You	2007	5.90	49	28	28	8,461,686	35.55
60	29th Street	1991	7.20	N/A	75	86	2,120,564	35.59

It’s unsurprising to see Let It Ride place so low on the ranks, considering that it handles responsible gambling so poorly. It features an unsuccessful habitual gambler who’s convinced to place a big bet and wins big from it.

The process 

First, a list of 152 films which featured gambling were shortlisted, before being placed against the different indexes to produce a final score. 

The films were taken from IMDb initially, but additional research from the team led to a few more being added which would’ve been left out otherwise!

Jorunn L, a Kongebonus spokesperson, said: "The data presents a list of unforgettable films, each iconic in their own right. These titles not only captivated audiences with their compelling narratives and star-studded casts but also brought the high-stakes world of casinos to life on screen.

From Rain Man's emotional depth set against the backdrop of Vegas casinos to Ocean's Eleven's thrilling heist, these movies highlight the allure and danger of the gambling world.

Their enduring popularity and the overall great scores from both audiences and critics underscore the timeless appeal of excellent storytelling and masterful filmmaking."

Weighting Amounts

IMDb rating = 20%

Number of IMBD reviews = 20%

Worldwide Earnings = 20%

Metascore = 10%

Tomatometer = 7.5%

Number of Rotten Tomatoes critic reviews = 7.5%

Rotten Tomatoes audience score = 7.5%

Number of Rotten Tomatoes audience reviews = 7.5%

Once all of the scores had been weighed against the criteria, there were placed on a scale between 0 to 10. 

These were then added up to create the final total for the films.

Rank	Movie	Release Year	IMDb score	Meta-score	Tomato-meter	Rotten Tomatoes	Earnings $	Total Score
59	3000 Miles to Graceland	2001	6.00	21	15	46	18,720,175	36.34
58	Reindeer Games	2000	5.80	37	25	27	32,168,970	36.80
57	Revolver	2005	6.30	25	15	56	7,221,558	37.11
56	Vegas Vacation	1997	5.90	20	15	51	36,400,360	37.53
55	Suicide Kings	1997	6.90	43	35	74	1,740,156	37.61
54	Runner Runner	2013	5.60	36	7	33	62,675,095	37.93
53	Think Like a Man Too	2014	5.70	38	23	59	70,181,428	38.54
52	Intacto	2001	6.80	59	73	82	1,864,185	39.80
51	Mean Machine	2001	6.40	45	34	72	7,310,206	39.89
50	Honeymoon in Vegas	1992	5.90	63	64	36	35,208,854	41.28

One of the more unusual films on this list, Intacto is a Spanish film from director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. It follows a man blessed with supernatural luck, who runs an underground network where he ‘trades’ luck between people. Those in the ring engage in increasingly risky games of chance as they eliminate the unlucky ones. 

Rank	Movie	Release Year	IMDb score	Meta-score	Tomato-meter	Rotten Tomatoes	Earnings $	Total Score
49	Owning Mahowny	2003	7.00	70	78	75	1,271,244	41.29
48	The Pope of Greenwich Village	1984	6.60	58	77	74	6,836,201	41.47
47	The Good Thief	2002	6.50	68	77	62	5,756,945	41.77
46	Two for the Money	2005	6.20	50	22	48	30,526,509	42.46
45	The Gambler	2014	6.00	55	43	31	39,280,992	43.25
44	Tazza: The High Rollers	2006	7.10	77	N/A	86	39,243,317	43.75
43	The Card Counter	2021	6.20	78	87	42	5,040,860	44.97
42	The Brothers Bloom	2008	6.70	55	68	64	5,530,764	46.47
41	House of Games	1987	7.20	78	97	79	2,585,639	48.32
40	It Could Happen to You	1994	6.40	64	73	54	37,939,757	48.48

One of Oscar Isaacs most underrated performances comes from The Card Counter, which sees him as an ex-military interrogator teaching himself how to count cards while in prison. Once out, he goes up against the casinos by betting small and winning modestly… until his past catches up with him, of course!

Rank	Movie	Release Year	IMDb score	Meta-score	Tomato-meter	Rotten Tomatoes	Earnings $	Total Score
39	Indecent Proposal	1993	6.00	45	34	47	266,614,059	49.09
38	Croupier	1998	7.00	75	95	79	7,120,568	49.21
37	The Cooler	2003	6.90	69	77	69	10,464,788	50.26
36	The Grifters	1990	6.90	86	91	70	13,446,769	52.05
35	Rat Race	2001	6.50	52	45	64	85,498,534	53.50
34	The Last Boy Scout	1991	7.00	52	46	64	59,509,925	54.18
33	Bugsy	1991	6.80	80	84	69	49,114,016	54.31
32	Atlantic City, USA	1980	7.30	85	100	78	12,729,675	54.53
31	Last Vegas	2013	6.60	48	46	59	134,410,488	55.10
30	The Hangover Part III	2013	5.80	30	20	44	362,000,072	55.44

One of the classics, Rat Race is a comedy which starts out in a casino. The owner, an eccentric man known as Donald Sinclair, has hidden $2 million in a train station locker almost 1,000km away. His remaining casino guests then bet on who they think will get there first.

Rank	Movie	Release Year	IMDb score	Meta-score	Tomato-meter	Rotten Tomatoes	Earnings $	Total Score
29	Next	2007	6.20	42	28	53	77,621,983	55.81
28	Killing Them Softly	2012	6.20	64	74	44	37,930,465	56.00
27	Battle of the Sexes	2017	6.70	73	84	71	18,598,607	56.03
26	What Happens in Vegas	2008	6.10	36	25	42	219,375,562	57.04
25	Rounders	1998	7.30	53	64	87	22,912,409	58.15
24	RocknRolla	2008	7.20	53	60	71	25,742,207	58.54
23	Now You See Me 2	2016	6.40	46	33	53	334,897,606	59.39
22	Focus	2015	6.60	56	56	53	159,162,963	59.76
21	Bad Times at the El Royale	2018	7.10	60	75	75	31,882,724	59.79
20	The Color of Money	1986	7.00	77	88	73	52,293,982	60.19

Another curious connection to the gambling industry, Bad Times at the El Royale is set at a hotel which was popular with the rich and famous until it lost its gambling license. Several years later, a Catholic priest, a singer, a salesman and a hippie all arrive at the hotel and discover its dark secrets.

Rank	Movie	Release Year	IMDb score	Meta-score	Tomato-meter	Rotten Tomatoes	Earnings $	Total Score
19	Nine Queens	2000	7.90	80	92	94	12,413,888	60.91
18	Maverick	1994	7.00	62	68	71	183,031,272	62.91
17	Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas	1998	7.50	41	51	89	10,680,275	63.03
16	Ocean's Eight	2018	6.30	61	68	47	297,795,726	63.52
15	Logan Lucky	2017	7.00	78	92	76	48,453,605	65.18
14	21	2008	6.80	48	36	66	159,808,370	65.61
13	Game Night	2018	6.90	66	85	78	117,768,230	66.11
12	Molly's Game	2017	7.40	71	81	84	59,284,015	67.42
11	Uncut Gems	2019	7.40	93	91	52	50,023,780	69.92

It’s easy to make a heist film in a casino, but 21 put an original spin on it. Rather than it being about a group of professionals, 21 revolves around six MIT students who get taught how to count cards by their teacher before hitting the casinos to try and beat the odds.

The Top Ten best gambling films of all time

Rank	Movie	Release Year	IMDb score	Meta-score	Tomato-meter	Rotten Tomatoes	Earnings $	Total Score
10	Now You See Me	2013	7.2	50	50	70	351,723,989	70.81
9	Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels	1998	8.1	67	75	93	3,753,929	71.31
8	Ocean's Twelve	2004	6.5	58	55	60	362,744,280	71.39
7	Ocean's Thirteen	2007	6.9	62	70	75	311,312,624	75.26
6	The Sting	1973	8.3	83	93	95	156,000,000	82.64
5	Casino	1995	8.2	73	79	93	116,112,375	82.85
4	Ocean's Eleven	2001	7.7	74	83	80	450,717,150	85.61
3	Rain Man	1988	8	65	88	90	354,825,435	86.57
2	The Hangover	2009	7.7	73	79	84	469,328,922	87.49
1	Casino Royale	2006	8	80	94	90	616,577,552	92.51

For anyone who’s into films, gambling - or even both! - this top ten shouldn’t surprise you too much. These are some of the most loved films of their respective genres; The Hangover in comedy, Ocean’s Eleven in heists and Casino Royale in action. 

While The Sting came closest to Casino Royale in terms of scores, the difference in the earnings pushed Casino Royale into first place.