Our Top 10 Movie Picks For Sports Betting Fans

While sports betting has become more popular than ever before, partly in thanks to the rise of online betting, Hollywood has always seen the potential in movies about the practice. Here are 10 of the best sports betting films out there, if you are looking for the best flicks for a themed movie night.

1. Two For The Money

In this movie, Brandon (Matthew McConaughey) is a college football player who suffers a career ending injury. He then meets Walter Abrams (Al Pacino), who is an experienced sports gambling tout. Abrams becomes a role model for Brandon, helping him understand the knack for sports betting that he did not know he had.

Wild is still look like a hot warming story, of course Abrams is not all that he seems. This does jeopardize the bond they create, and Brandon has to make a decision as to whether he will continue down this path that has been laid out for him.

2. Let It Ride

This film features Richard Dreyfuss as Jay Trotter, an average taxi driver who loves to indulge in gambling, drinking, and smoking among other vices. He experiences an excellent day at the races, bringing home a big win after getting a great tip.

He is portrayed as an anti-hero in the film, but you get to follow him as he keeps making bets and experiencing the best run of his life. As such, you will not help but root for him.

3. Bookies

This movie divides critics, but did catch the eye of many at the Sundance Festival. It features a group of college students who lost a lot of money in a bet, and decide to create their own bookmaking business in order to make money.  While they are starting to bring in the big bucks, they start to attract the attention of the Mafia who are displeased about the competition.

Bookies gives an insight into how modern-day bookmakers work, like the hundreds seen at Irishbettingsites.ie and similar comparison sites but with a Mafia related twist.

4. Lay The Favourite

If you are in the mood for a comedy, this is the movie you should check out. Featuring Bruce Willis as a professional sports punter, as well as Catherine Zeta Jones as his wife Tulip. Wallis character meets Beth, played by Rebecca Hall, who has a hidden talent as a punter as well. It’s a light and funny comedy which makes it the perfect rainy day afternoon flick.

5. Even Money

On a very different tech, this movie really highlights the toll that gambling addiction can have on those who suffer from it. It features a range of characters who all struggle in their own way, such as a novelist who is addicted to slot machines, as well as two bookies who are accused of murder and rigging games.

6. Silver Linings Playbook

This is a betting movie you have surely heard of, if you have not already seen it. Featuring an all-star cast with a Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro, they all offer an excellent performance in this movie. Pat Senior (De Niro) loves to place a bet on absolutely anything. In fact, he decides to place a bet on his son Pat’s (Cooper) upcoming dance contest with partner Tiffany (Lawrence).

7. Eight Men Out

This movie is based on the true story of the baseball players who accepted bribes to lose the 1919 World Series. While it is more based on the trial of the players who were caught accepting these bribes, sports betting does play a key part of the story.

8. Big Shot: Confessions Of A Campus Bookie

Apparently college and betting just mix, thanks to this second movie about the two. It features the character Ben Silman, a student at Arizona State who is an expert in all things math. He uses this talent to bet on sports, and eventually he begins branching out as a bookie himself.

As you would expect, things do not go smoothly and he soon has a run with a drug lord and other people who do not appreciate his new business.

9. White Men Can’t Jump

Are you looking for a movie with 90s nostalgia? Then look no further. This 1992 flick features two basketball players who hustle punters for money on the court. However, one character is also in debt to a good bookmaker, leading to tension on and off the courts.

10. Owning Mahwony

Finally, here is another true story movie about Dan Mahowny, who embezzled more than $10 million from his work. Sports betting comes into the picture because he stole the money due to his gambling addiction, stemming from both sports betting and casino table games. What was more impressive is that he was just 24 at the time of his arrest.

Next time you are looking for a good movie to watch, pick one of these betting flicks. They are all great options for a good movie night.