For decades, Canada has been a favorite backdrop for filmmakers, with cities like Toronto and Vancouver often standing in for locations around the world. From Hollywood blockbusters to indie gems, Canada’s breathtaking landscapes, vibrant cities, and rich cultural heritage have made it a prime location for both the silver and small screens. Among the many genres filmed there, some of the most thrilling stories have revolved around the high-stakes world of gambling and casino games.

Whether set in Canada or featuring iconic scenes filmed there, gambling has played a key role in a number of memorable movies. The thrill of the game, the tension of a big win (or loss), the intrigue of the casino floor, and unpredictable twists of fortune have all made for compelling storytelling.

Of course, this on-screen fascination reflects a real-world love of casino games and gambling in Canada. Whether it’s online or in person, more and more people have started to enjoy playing these casino games, using websites like casinos.com to find a website that’s right for them.

Which are the best gambling movies with Canadian ties? Take a look for yourself.

The Last Casino (2004)

The Last Casino is a movie about three professors that used to be students together use their mathematical skills to try and beat the system by learning to card count and take home a jackpot. They spend months learning this, watching countless hours of poker and practicing doing it over and over until they’ve mastered it.

Throughout the movie, each player starts to make more and more reckless gambles with them trying to take more and more for themselves. As each player gets more greedy, it becomes apparent what their plans are as they’re kicked out for cheating. Although they didn’t win their jackpot, they learned that they’d become great poker players and had learned some important life lessons along the way.

This movie was a great representation on how even after all your hard work and putting your mind to something, it’s easy to lose focus of what’s important, so keep your eyes on the goal and what you set out to do without getting distracted.

Cold Deck (2015)

Released in 2015, Cold Deck is a true classic of gambling films set in Canada. Filmed in Ontario, it’s about a character called Bobby who cares for his mother, but also has a gambling addiction. In his quest to pay off his debts, he finds himself in a high-stakes poker game where it’s all or nothing for him.

Throughout the film he goes through some dangerous and not very nice things, his main goal is to pay off his debts and get back to his most important task, caring for his mother. This one is different to the others on this list, as most casino and gambling movies are big, fancy and about spending lots of money, however this is based on the other side of the coin and the struggles around it.

Owning Mahowny (2003)

Owning Mahowny is another iconic gambling film set in Canada. The film is based on a true story of a Canadian bank manager (Brian Molony) who embezzled over $10 million from his employers to support his gambling habit. The film uses a fictional character–Dan Mahowny–played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, to showcase the actions by Molony. The storyline sees Mahowny turn to gambling and steal millions of dollars from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce to finance his habits.

This film is different from a typical casino film and instead showcases the reality of gambling and gambling addiction rather than the glitz and glamour of land-based casinos and their games.

Why casinos are used in movies

If you haven’t noticed, a lot of movies will feature some form of either casinos or betting in their movies. This is due to how popular casinos have become in recent years, both in person and online. By including them in their movies, they’re providing a scene where viewers are able to form a connection and find it comforting as it’s something relatable to them.

The majority of people have at some point played either a casino game or placed a bet, so when a casino comes up in a movie, you’re instantly drawn towards that.

For people in Canada, it’s a great feeling to know that a lot of great casino-themed movies have had scenes filmed or based there as it shows that people in Canada have a great connection with betting and casino games and it is something they love doing. It’s also a great place to film due to the locations and has been used for multiple films over the years.

Gambling films have been around for years, even dating back to the early ’60s and ’70s where wild west movies would have people playing poker in them. It’s always been a part of the movie industry and with how popular casino gaming is currently, there’s no sign of this slowing down anytime soon.