Harrogate is not generally known for its gambling venues but it stages an annual film festival. It’s been running in the town officially since 2017, but goes back even further unofficially. Ken Loach and Brian Blessed are among the luminaries who have visited recent editions. One of the very first launch events was back in 2016 with a big screen showing of the highly acclaimed Ocean’s Eleven.
Ocean’s Eleven is one example of a popular theme in cinema that explores the world of casinos. But here we delve into what else the two have in common.
Connection Between Cinema and Casino
Guests to that screening were treated to the full table casino works and a three-course meal to try and recreate that sense of energy that the original film enjoyed back in 2001. The immersive element is something that casinos and cinema have always had in common. There’s a reason gambling features in so many memorable movies.
One of the more memorable characters in the feature is blackjack dealer Frank played by the late comedian Bernie Mac. His charisma and way with words sum up the slick presentation of the gambling capital of the world – although the scenes are fictional, of course. To play blackjack online games today largely captures that in-person Las Vegas experience. Whether via desktop or smartphone, online casinos are offering live versions of such casino classics, where players can visit “lobbies” and access a wide variety of game options. Just as Ocean’s Eleven demonstrates the beating heart at the core of a gaming venue offline, these live versions show how immersive the online casino experience can be.
How VR Will Bring the Action Closer to Online Casinos
The social element of casinos has travelled well on screen, and has been replicated online with live dealer casino games – as we’ve seen. With VR becoming ever more prominent, online play will be more visceral soon enough. This is yet another way in which casino entertainment and films show a likeness: the experience of IMAX has that same degree of immersiveness that VR could bring to online casino games. The true popularity of bringing home entertainment to the gambler or the cinema-goer is that sense of connection with a fantasy world that reaches beyond the graft of daily life.
Movies like Ocean’s Eleven are the animated, Hollywood version of real life and the hustle and bustle of casinos are a perfect backdrop to elevate the scenes. In Soderbergh’s trio of movies, there is a constant blur of action as the plot jumps from one setup to the next with a few well-timed explosions and a whole heap of fast one-liners and clever interplay. It’s what brings the entertainment, literally, to the table. But while it’s common to see casinos represented in movies, here we’ve shown how the ways in which audiences have enjoyed them over time have much in common. It’s therefore likely that we’ll see their approaches intertwined in the future, too.
