The glamour, the glitz, the gambling. The world of a real-life casino lends itself well to the storyline of a movie. And for some films, like Ocean’s Eleven or Golden Eye, you can actually visit the casinos featured, if you fancy taking a trip to Las Vegas.
But for the majority of our favourite films, the casinos are completely made up, just like the adventures that take place in them.
If you’re used to playing casino for real money, whether that’s online or in a land-based casino, then let us transport you to some of the top famous fictional casinos. Unfortunately, at these casinos, you won’t be able splash your cash, and take a chance at that big win – but at least you’ll be entertained by the movie.
So, grab a bowl of popcorn and let’s go!
The Bank Casino and Hotel – Ocean’s Thirteen
Unlike its predecessor films, the third instalment of the Ocean’s saga features a completely fictious casino, called the Bank Casino and Hotel – named appropriately after the villain of the story, Willy Bank, played by Al Pacino.
In the first Ocean’s Eleven movie, released in 2001, Daniel Ocean and his team of highly skilled con artists attempt to rob three ‘real’ Las Vegas casinos – the Bellagio, the MGM Grand, and the Mirage. Whereas the sequel doesn’t feature any casinos at all.
It’s when we reach Ocean’s Thirteen in 2007, that the fictious casino comes into play. This time the gang are attempting to steal millions of dollars from the newly constructed Bank Casino, supposedly also located in Las Vegas, with the motive of revenge!
The real-life filming locations which inspired the Bank Casino interior were Vegas’ Palazzo Resort and the Bellagio – which fans would be familiar with from the first film, but this movie offers a new spin on the setting, transforming it into the Bank Casino.
In the story of Ocean’s Thirteen, unlike many other casino-based movies, the plot focuses on the slot machines in the casino, and the characters’ cunning idea to rig these machines in to reward massive pay-outs, that cause the casino to make little money and be forced to close.
If only this casino was real, then maybe the huge pay-outs would have been as well! We’ll just have to be satisfied with the marvellous movie instead.
Casino Royale – James Bond
The character of James Bond and the luxury of a land-based casino, simply go hand in hand. Casino scenes feature fairly often across the 26 movies, based on the famous Ian Fleming book series. But it wasn’t until 2006 that the debut novel featuring 007, Casino Royale, was made into a fully-fledged movie. This time it was starring Daniel Craig as the suave secret agent.
Casino Royale is the name given to the establishment in the 1953 novel, and is originally located in Northern France. But for the movie adaptation, this changes, and the fictious casino can supposedly be found in Montenegro in the Balkans.
Filming took place in the Czech Republic to create the illusion of the Casino Royale, with the town of Karlovy Vary used for exterior shots and the Grandhotel Pupp used to masquerade as the Hotel Splendide.
We may not be able to visit a real-life version of the Casino Royale, but we can certainly be shaken and stirred by the sheer entertainment of this James Bond classic.
