Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Watch these gambling movies on Netflix
Playing casino games has always carried a built-in charge, whether you’re sitting at a felt table in a brick-and-mortar room or spinning reels on a laptop. That same charge has powered dozens of films, and the twelve titles below keep the lights on.
1. Croupier
Directed by Mike Hodges, Croupier follows Clive Owen as Jack Manfred, a writer who takes a job in a small London card room. The 1998 film watches the house edge work on him as much as on the punters, with Kate Hardie and Alex Kingston rounding out the key players.
2. Guns, Girls and Gambling
A tribal artifact vanishes during a high-stakes poker game in this 2011 ensemble piece. Gary Oldman, Christian Slater, Powers Boothe, and Helena Mattsson chase the missing relic across the desert while the body count climbs.
3. Casino Royale
The 1967 spy parody sends David Niven’s Sir James Bond into a baccarat showdown meant to bankrupt SMERSH. Directors John Huston, Ken Hughes, and others keep the tone deliberately unhinged, with Peter Sellers and Ursula Andress along for the ride.
4. Casino
Martin Scorsese’s 1995 adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi’s book tracks Robert De Niro’s Sam Rothstein as he runs the Tangiers for the mob. Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci supply the personal and professional fireworks that eventually bring the whole operation down.
5. Bachelor Party Vegas
Five friends head to Sin City for a last hurrah and accidentally hire a bank robber as their wedding planner. Casino security, local cops, and escalating bad decisions turn the weekend into a sprint for the exits.
6. Bugsy
Directed by Barry Levinson, the 1991 biopic stars Warren Beatty as Bugsy Siegel and Annette Bening as Virginia Hill. Siegel’s dream of a lavish Nevada resort ends in a hail of bullets once the money and the romance both run out.
7. Leprechaun 3
The franchise’s 1995 entry drops the murderous creature in Las Vegas, where he hunts anyone standing between him and his gold. The strip becomes a brightly lit killing floor for the duration of the runtime.
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Terry Gilliam’s 1998 adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s novel sends Johnny Depp’s Raoul Duke and Benicio del Toro’s Dr. Gonzo on a chemically fueled reporting assignment. The desert city becomes both backdrop and hallucination.
9. Rounders
John Dahl directed this 1998 poker drama in which law student Mike McDermott, played by Matt Damon, tries to leave the tables behind. Edward Norton, John Malkovich, John Turturro, and Gretchen Mol fill out the crew that keeps pulling him back in.
10. Modern Marvels: Las Vegas
The 1994 television documentary traces the city’s evolution from desert outpost to neon gambling capital, mixing archival footage with on-the-ground looks at how the casinos actually run.
11. Ocean’s 11
Lewis Milestone’s 1960 Rat Pack heist comedy follows Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. as they target the Bellagio, the Mirage, and the MGM Grand in one coordinated night. The tone stays light even when the plan starts to fray.
12. The Cooler
Directed by Wayne Kramer, the 2003 drama centers on William H. Macy’s Bernie Lootz, a lifelong loser employed by the casino to bring bad luck to winning streaks. Alec Baldwin and Maria Bello complicate his assignment once romance enters the picture.
The Gambler (2014)
Rupert Wyatt’s 2014 remake follows Mark Wahlberg as a literature professor whose gambling debts threaten to swallow his life. Jessica Lange and John Goodman appear in a supporting cast that watches the stakes climb faster than any lecture-hall discussion could contain.
Molly's Game (2017)
Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed this 2017 account of Molly Bloom’s underground poker empire. Jessica Chastain leads an ensemble that includes Idris Elba and Kevin Costner, moving from high-roller tables to federal courtrooms without losing momentum.
Ballad of a Small Player (2025)
Colin Farrell plays a gambler hiding out in Macau in this 2025 Netflix original. The story tracks high-stakes baccarat sessions and the slim chance of personal redemption before the house finally collects.
Mississippi Grind (2015)
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s 2015 road movie pairs Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn as two gamblers drifting through Southern card rooms. Their friendship and their bankrolls rise and fall together with every new table they reach.
These titles range from prestige studio pictures to late-night cult oddities, yet each one keeps the felt, the chips, and the house edge front and center. Stream a few and see which version of the gamble feels closest to home.
