The Casino Emperor

Breaking Vegas

May 2004 •English

Documentary tracing the attempts of a team of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Institue students to become rich playing blackjack at casinos throughout the United States and the attempts of the casinos' management to thwart them.

Carl och spelreklamshelvetet

April 2019 •Swedish

Internet comedian Carl Déman from the humor group JLC lived a life that looked glorious. But beneath the surface was a terrible gambling addiction that almost cost him his life. In 2019, he and other gambling addicts struggle to stay afloat in a contemporary age marinated in gambling advertising. Carl wants to ask those who make the advertising how they think and wonders why the advertising profiles now also come from the world of culture and entertainment.

Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul

August 2022 •English

Years after serving time for betting on games he officiated, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy revisits the scandal that shook up the league.

The Legend of Jimmy the Greek

November 2009 •English

“The NFL Today” on CBS was one of the preeminent sports programs on television in the early 1980s. It was a perfect combination of reporting, analysis, predictions, humor and talent. But there was no personality on the show more popular than Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Greek immigrants, Jimmy overcame childhood tragedy, moved to Las Vegas, and eventually became the biggest name in the world of sports handicapping. When CBS added him as an “analyst” on “The NFL Today,” “The Greek” not only further increased his stature as a sort of national folk hero, but he also gained an air of respectability never before associated with gamblers. Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Fritz Mitchell, who broke in as an intern on “The NFL Today,” will examine Snyder’s impact on the growth of sports gambling, while also taking a fresh look at The Greek’s tragic downfall.

Jackpot

January 2009 •English

Die-hard regulars at a Canadian bingo hall, hope their next card will be the one that wins them the jackpot.

Las Vegas: An Unconventional History: Part 1 - Sin City

November 2005 •English

Traces the often surprising, endlessly entertaining history of the country's most outrageous playground. Interviews with Las Vegas insiders as well as everyday citizens in search of the American Dream chronicle how Las Vegas transformed itself from remote frontier way station into the Depression-era "Gateway to the Hoover Dam," then into the mid-century gangster metropolis known as "Sin City," and finally into a family vacation destination and the fastest-growing city in the United States.

Top Slots - Spotting the Best

January 1994 •English

Tips and tricks on how to win on 80's and 90's slot machines!

The Bowler

January 2010 •English

Meet Rocky Salemmo. He’s a ramblin’ gamblin’ man. For the majority of his adult life Rocky has hustled bowling for a living. Here is his story. A short documentary about booze, broads and bowling.

Eliot Ness vs. Al Capone

March 2009 •French

January, 1947. The public receives the news of Al Capone's death with indifference, although twenty years earlier he had ruled Chicago's crime underworld with brute force and corrupting many touchable individuals. Until the day the head of the Untouchables Brigade, Eliot Ness, entered the scene. Since then, a cruel battle between the two of them began, a battle that ended in trial, conviction, disease, insanity and death.

Monarch

February 1980 •German

The film takes a look at a professional gambler, who very successfully specialized on the German version of the slot machine.

Dirty Games: The Dark Side of Sports

June 2016 •German

An expedition to the dirty abyss of professional sports. The award winning investigative journalist Benjamin Best (CNN Journalist of the Year 2011) takes a global look behind the scenes at the colourful world of sports and exposes the bitter taste behind the multi-billion sports business.

Fruteira

January 2023 •Portuguese

Architecture of Happiness

January 2025 •Italian

For a hundred years, the former fishing village of Campione d'Italia, an Italian enclave in Switzerland, has drawn enormous wealth from a monumental casino. There is hardly a resident who has not benefited economically or socially from it. But the bankruptcy of this colossus destroys all prospects and autonomy. The reopening gives the village one last chance.

What Happened in Vegas

November 2017 •English

Ramsey Denison investigates a terrifying pattern of police corruption and discovers that behind the shimmering surface of Las Vegas lies a police department with individuals willing to go to any lengths to cover up crimes.

Dreamland

August 2000 •English

Las Vegas — to many it's a 24-hour fantasy world filled with showgirls, high rollers and outrageous theme hotels. With a roll of the dice, 75 year-old Lou stakes everything to retire and start a new life there. But beneath the glittering surface of the city, Lou discovers a world quite different from his dreams. This compassionate portrait follows Lou and several other residents over a two-year period, documenting a community living in the shadow of the Las Vegas strip, where gambling is a constant temptation and reality is more subtle and stirring than any game.

Out of Luck

February 2005 •English

An in depth look at the full effect of State Lotteries on the players and the people around them.

Now Place Your Bets

March 2017 •English

Sports betting in the USA is booming and this doc features those who know how it all began, up to how it became the huge business it is today. Narrated by Trip Mitchell, insight is provided by baseball's Pete Rose, oddsmaker Dennis Tobler, Pinnacle's Jessica Davis, historians Richard Davies & Eugene Moehring, Buzz Daly, Frank Cullotta, Joe D'Amico, Jim Bobbera, Norm Kelley and "Vegas Dave" Oancea.

Cashed Out Casino

August 2017 •English

Watch the drama unfold when the city of Las Vegas blows up the town's impromptu movie set.

The Gambler

July 1950 •English

This late 1940s/early 1950s rather graphic color film about carelessness and safety operating heavy machinery is presented by Caterpillar.

Játék a tér

January 2011 •Hungarian

An apartment for 3.30 forints. Petra Pelsőczy's film deals with LOTTO houses and their owners of the 1960s.