Although the casino has been the backdrop to a number of great Hollywood movies over the years, it is not just tinseltown that has fallen for the shady allure of the casino movie. Here are some of the better casino-based movies from around the globe…

13 Tzameti (2005) A twenty year old immigrant, Sebastian, is working on the roof of a reclusive, yet comparatively rich, drug addict’s house in order to make ends meet when he discovers that his paymaster has died of an overdose and as such will not be paying for the roof repairs after all. Desperate for money, Sebastian discovers a mysterious set of instructions intended for the recently deceased and decides to assume his identity and follow them in the hope that there might be some money in it. Unbeknownst to Playtech Casinos, he is being followed by Gerard Dorez, a violent policeman on the edge of psychosis. The instructions lead him into a seedy, sadistic criminal underworld where men gamble with other mens lives. Sebastian has unwittingly and irreversibly signed himself up to a clandestine group of Russian Roulette players, and as player number 13, he’s probably going to need all the luck he can get!

Gambling City (1974) This stylish and sharp Italian thriller, directed by Sergio Martino and written by Ernasto Gastalki, chiefly concerns a mysterious newcomer to the Milanese nightclub and casino scene, Luca, whose astonishing successes at the card tables swiftly attracts unwelcome attention from ‘The President’, a notorious and powerful organised crime boss. Things get even hotter under the collar for Luca when he gets romantically involved with the son of this feared mobster’s girlfriend, and he faces a frantic race against time in his attempt to skip town with both the girl and the money in tow.

Intacto (2002) This puzzling, weird movie begins and ends in the Canary Islands, where Sam, the ringleader of a quasi-mystical gambling ring comprised of people with the ‘gift’ of having seemingly endless good luck, runs a casino. His assistant, Federico, is robbed of the ‘gift’ by Sam in a bizarre and terrifying ritual in which he hugs him, stripping him of the gift, and the attendant good fortune. In an attempt to wreak revenge on his boss, Federico tries to turn Tomas, the sole survivor of an aeroplane crash into a winner in order that he can challenge and beat Sam. To complicate things further, an automotive accident survivor and an untouchable bullfighter become involved in an effort to break this crazy gambling ring.

If you think you might have ‘the gift’ yourself, or you just fancy trying your luck, why not visit an online casino such as 32Red.com?