Licence to Gamble: The Best Casinos From James Bond Movies
Whoever saw any of the James Bond movies before knows how essential gambling and casinos are to this entire franchise. Not only do casino scenes raise the suspense and make the movies more engaging to the viewers, but they also serve to promote the genuine casino experience through the screen.
And since there are way too many casinos in James Bond movies, we decided to make a list of the best ones and unveil them to our readers with our ultimate selection.
And for those who feel like gambling due to all this casino talk, we got the best UK online casino bonuses.
Diamonds Are Forever
Other than the famous soundtrack by Shirley Bassey, many other elements made this film so fascinating. One of them is the marvelous acting by the legendary Sean Connery, who made the final appearance as Agent 007 in this 1971 blockbuster.
In this movie, Whyte House’s casino is set in Las Vegas, where James Bond decides to try his luck playing Craps while flirting with enchanting Plenty O’Toole.
Shockingly, our hero decides to increase a bet to $10,000 when no one anticipated that, and of course, ends up winning $65,000, of which he chooses to share $5,000 with the lady he flirted with.
Goldeneye
Even though Pierce Brosnan, who played James Bond during this era, has admitted that he wasn’t enjoying taking this role, no one can deny that Goldeneye (and other Bond movies from the Brosnan era) were terrific. In this movie, the casino scene occurs in the luxurious Casino De Monte Carlo in the prestigious location set in Monaco.
There, an agent double-o seven plays Baccarat versus the gorgeous Russian spy Xenia Onatopp (an interesting surname) and ends up winning, later escaping her assassination attempt. Sounds like fun!
Casino Royale
Casino Royale is one of the most successful James Bond adaptations of all time, with fantastic performances by Daniel Craig, Mads Mikkelsen, and Eva Green.
This James Bond movie features one of the longest-ever casino scenes of all the films from this franchise, and this time, our protagonist plays a high stake win-or-bust Poker game with a prize pool of $115 million.
Set in the luxurious Casino Royale in Montenegro, the all-famous Poker scene is probably the paramount scene of an entire movie, with leading and supporting actors sitting at one table, doing their best to leave the casino with $115 million.
Dr. No
Another portrayal by the man himself, Sean Connery, this adaptation is actually the first movie of this franchise ever recorded. It features a casino scene where the chief character plays Chemin De Fer (a variety of baccarat).
After being asked about his name by the female character Sylvia Trench, it’s the first time these words are uttered – “Bond. James Bond”, which orbited Connery’s career and allowed him to become probably the best actor ever to play James Bond.
Set in London’s fictitious Le Cercle casino, the gambling scene features all the grandeur old-school casino offers – classy people wearing lavish outfits, drinking cocktails, and trying their luck in gambling.
Octopussy
The 13th James Bond movie, in which Roger Moore takes the leading role, features a casino scene where our hero plays Backgammon against the villain named Kamal Khan, a wealthy Afghan prince.
Set in the exotic Indian Shiv Niwas Hotel Casino, this nerve-racking scene revolves around Bond joining the game with the prize pool of 500,000 rupees, in which his opponent is using a special dice for cheating. However, Bond manages to roll double sixes and win the game in the end.
In addition, this movie offers an authentic casino atmosphere that can make the viewers feel like they’re actually there.
Wrapping It Up
James Bond is one of the most recognized movie characters in history, and fans are eagerly awaiting the next release, which will undoubtedly feature the casino scene as usual.
Who knows, perhaps in some of the next James Bond movies, we’ll see Agent 007 playing some kind of virtual casino, the one with holograms, or something even more futuristic. Considering how fast the gambling industry is advancing, this wouldn’t be surprising at all.
