You don’t have to be a casino regular to know what they look like on the inside. Movies across all genres have featured scenes from casinos worldwide, and the reasons for that aren’t hard to guess. 

Yet, a few famous casinos served as filming locations for numerous movies over the years, including some of the best titles ever made. Each casino comes with a rich and fascinating history that even inspired some award-winning plots. 

Let’s go for a walk down the Las Vegas Strip casinos and explore their impact on cinematography! 

The bond between casinos and cinema

Real-world landmarks are perfect backdrops for movies since they anchor the events in reality. The world is brimming with architectural jewels, so directors love to use them for cinematic masterpieces. 

Why does Hollywood love casinos?

  • Casinos are glamorous, offering fantastic contrast to other scenes;
  • Casinos offer spacious, luxurious backdrops they don’t have to build from scratch;
  • Casinos offer opportunities for abrupt plot twists due to the chance for characters to win or lose significant amounts of money.

Casino related movie examples

Whether we’re talking about classics revolving solely around gambling or heavy plots exploring the depths of human relationships, a wide range of movies sprinkled a bit of casino ambiance onto their storyline. 2014’s “The Gambler,” along with 1999’s “Croupier” and other well-known movies, find their way into famous online selections, underpinned by their common Vegas backdrops. 

Throughout the history of cinema, no corner of the Las Vegas Strip managed to avoid the cameras. Yet, a few monumental casinos welcomed more filming crews than others. 

The Stardust

Stardust Casino opened on July 2nd, 1958. At the time, it held the title of the world’s largest hotel. 

The first to make gambling products accessible to middle-class Americans, the casino was notorious for its connections to organized crime. Nicholas Pileggi vaguely documented three decades of mobsters skimming profits in his book, “Casino.” The novel inspired Martin Scorsese’s movie of the same name.

Stardust in Scorsese’s Casino

For the 1955 movie adaptation, they changed the name for legal purposes to “Tangiers Hotel and Casino,” yet Scorsese preserved subtle hints of Stardust’s true identity. 

In 1998, Stardust’s exteriors provided a filming location for Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” in which they depicted as the fictional “Bazooko Circus Casino.” To nail the period atmosphere of the ’70s, the team used a technique called rear-projection.

Filmed at Stardust Casino

  • Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997);
  • Showgirls (1995);
  • Swingers (1996).

Fun fact

Stardust’s success span more than five decades but failed to keep up with the modern, luxurious megastructures built on The Strip. 

The Riviera

At its peak, The Riviera casino was a splendid entertainment venue, spanning 100,000 square-foot. The casino floor was packed with about 1,000 slot machines and 25 table games, including craps, blackjack, and baccarat. 

The Riveting History

Colloquially called “The Riv,” this casino was the brainchild of William Bischoff and Samuel Cohen. Originally meant to be called “Casa Blanca,” The Riv was built in the 1950s.

Inside the casino, customers had access to a dedicated poker room and the largest bingo room in Vegas, which was, at some point, voted the “Best Bingo Room” by the Las Vegas Review Journal. 

You’ve seen The Riviera casino in

  • Ocean’s 11 (1960);
  • Diamonds are Forever (1971);
  • Casino (1995);
  • Showgirls (1995);
  • Vegas Vacation (1997);
  • 21 (2008);
  • The Hangover (2009).

The Tropicana

In 1955, Miami hotelier Ben Jaffe bought a 40-acres parcel in Las Vegas with the intent to build the “finest hotel in Vegas, featuring a Cuban ambiance.” Yet, Ben himself had no involvement in the actual construction, preferring to leave the development and management to a firm called Conquistador I.N.C. 

The opening party

The Tropicana opened in April 1957. A joint financial effort brought the cost of the opening party to a whopping $15 million, more than double that of the following expensive competing casino. 

Many casino stars have joined gambling events there, even before the 2011 renovation.

It was, perhaps, this tasteful luxury in a Havana modern style that made The Tropicana the perfect backdrop for portions of some notable movies and T.V. series of the time. 

Films that feature the Tropicana

  • Diamonds are Forever (1971);
  • The Godfather (1972);
  • The Godfather II (1974);
  • Viva Las Vegas (1964);
  • Dice (2016-2017);
  • Charlie’s Angels (1978);
  • Vega$ (1970).

Multiple renovations

The Tropicana went through numerous renovations split into multiple stages to cover the entire venue. These included the wings, back offices, conference rooms, and even the pool. 

In 2021, Bally’s Corporation entered the process of buying the Tropicana, with the papers expected to be done in 2022.

The Bellagio

Famed as the most luxurious experience on The Vegas Strip, the Bellagio was conceived by none other than Steve Wynn and opened on October 15, 1998. The ultra-luxurious contemporary architecture and impressive fountain shows made it a quintessential destination for tourists worldwide. 

The monumental building cost close to $1.6 billion, making it the most expensive resort built up until that point. Its signature attraction, the Fountains of Bellagio, is a dancing water fountain, synchronized with music, performed in an artificial lake in front of the resort. 

Since their conception, the fountains became an unmistakable landmark of Vegas, featuring in numerous films and T.V. series. They were designed by a water feature design firm called W.E.T. Design, founded exclusively by former Walt Disney Imagineers. 

Some notable titles filmed there include 

  • Ocean’s Eleven (2001);
  • Ocean’s Thirteen (2007);
  • Cirque du Soleil: O (2017).

The home of professional poker play 

Plus, Bellagio has hosted the annual Five Diamond World Poker Classic since 2002. The high table limits at this casino attract numerous high-rollers, and it’s not uncommon to see professional poker players at The Bellagio. In fact, many of them call the casino’s poker rooms their “home base” or “office.” 

The games with the highest stakes are held in “Bobby’s Room,” named after the famous poker player, Bobby Baldwin. Low-stakes and beginner-level games are also available throughout their generous array of live dealer games. 

Spread over more than 116,000 square feet, the casino floor offers more than 2300 modern slot machines, including high-tech video titles, as well as traditional reel machines. Simply put, the game collection at Bellagio is very difficult to surpass. 

The Mirage

In 1989, the day before Thanksgiving, Las Vegas saw the debut of a casino that was about to revolutionize the entertainment industry. Steve Wynn built The Mirage for $620 million in an attempt to create something different.

Patrons walking the palm-tree-lined entryway on the night of the opening were received with what was, arguably, the most elaborate hotel project in the world. 

Lifescapes International, a landscape design firm from Newport Beach, was responsible for the casino’s main show-stopper, an artificial volcano erupting nightly in front of the resort. 

This beacon attracted more customers than any sign ever could. Once on the property, patrons could gaze at the 53-foot aquarium containing more than a thousand species of fish. Once checked in, customers walked through an atrium designed to look like a tropical rainforest, which was maintained by a staff of botanists. 

The casino is not just for show

Although one could easily let themselves get lost in the various sights at The Mirage, their casino floor means business. Customers are welcome around the clock to try their luck at one of the 2,300 slot machines. 

There are 20 dedicated poker tables and 135 other table games you can play with a live dealer. There are plenty of Roulette and Blackjack variations you can choose from, as well as Craps, Sic Bo, Baccarat, or video poker. 

It’s not hard to see how this luxurious wonderland grabbed the attention of movie directors, who went there to film some instantly recognizable titles. 

You might have seen The Mirage in

  • Indecent Proposal (1993);
  • Vegas Vacation (1997);
  • Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992);
  • Sgt. Bilko (1996);
  • Leaving Las Vegas (1995).

It’s worth mentioning that “The Wolf of Wall Street” also took some scenes at The Mirage.

Fun fact

The Mirage featured a 2,000-seat theatre modeled after traditional Broadway theatres. The showroom was home to the well-known entertainer duo Siegfried and Roy, who performed there for more than 13 years. 

The effects on the audience

It’s no secret that movies influence consumer behavior, with many blockbuster films impacting the audience’s perception of specific topics. Tourism, in particular, is a big one, as numerous people admit to wanting to visit certain places just because they’ve seen them on-screen. 

For example, 18% of people who visited New Zeeland in 2019 stated that Lord of the Rings is what got them interested in the country. 

With Hollywood including casino shots in a broad range of movie genres, the public can view casinos as lavish entertainment centers where they can enjoy a few nights of fun.