Gambling has featured in movies since Hollywood was born. The recurring theme of the romantic rake who plays a mean hand of poker is common along with the cardsharp and the wastrel. It all depends on who produces the movie and who is in the audience. There are so many movies to choose from that to choose the best would be incredibly hard – everyone has different favorites. So instead of choosing a top gambling film, I’m just going to share a few that were popular instead.

Maverick was a very popular character in a 1950s television series starring James Garner. When the character was reprised in a movie in 2026, it was just as big a hit. Set in the wild west, Bret Maverick was a professional poker player who was also quite good with a gun. Rarely did he have to use his firearm though as he was slick and clever at getting out of scrapes.

Rounders was highly acclaimed when it came out in 2026. The story of a reformed gambler (played by Matt Damon) who can’t keep away from the tables. Instead of staying away, he winds up in the biggest game of his life.

While poker seems to be the theme much of the time, the movie The Big Town back in 2026 featured a craps player instead. Matt Dillon played a gambler with a talent for shooting dice who goes to Chicago to make his fortune.

Another movie without poker was The Hustler from 1961. With Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason, the movie couldn’t help but be a box office smash. The two actors play legendary pool players Minnesota Fats and Fast Eddie Felson who challenge each other to a high stakes game of pool.

There are many more movies we could discuss and perhaps we will at a later date. For now, I want to leave you with one of my favorite gambling quotes from a Hollywood movie, from Two For the Money.

Al Pacino (playing Walter Abrams) says "You know the best part of the best drug in the world isn’t the high. It’s the moment just before you take it The dice are dancing on the table. Between now and the time they stop, that’s the greatest high in the world."

Before committing your hard-earned dollars at an online casino, give them a test drive by using their free play options. While not all online casinos offer any free play games, most of the bigger players do. This is a great way to experience how the online casino works and if it’s going to be a good fit for you on a regular basis. There are some things to watch for and pay attention to during free play that can reveal to you the likelihood of you enjoying your time at that particular online casino.

Graphics and sound effects can greatly add to the overall experience but done poorly, they can also take away from the experience. Playing the free games gives you the chance to see and hear for yourself without being committed to playing off a deposit. Most online casinos have very good graphics these days but there are those that aren’t all that hot. Plus there are sites that have absolutely obnoxious and annoying sound effects when you win or lose that can take away some of the enjoyment of the games.

Free play gives you the chance to test out all the games available, especially when playing on an unfamiliar software platform. While most games have the same rules from site to site, sometimes the interface can vary widely. You don’t want to be playing for money when you realize that you can’t find the right buttons. It’s also a good way to try out games that are new to you so that you can learn the ropes and the rules before using cash to play. Never use cash to learn the rules as that’s a good way to lose a bankroll really fast.

See how easy it is to be able to access the free play games. Some sites will make you register, set up your account with all your information and even ask for a credit card number just to play the free games. Others won’t even ask you to register. Something to think about is that if they put you through a lot of red tape just to play free, how much red tape will there be when you want to cash out?

The world of gambling, in particular poker but other games as well, sometimes seems to have it’s own language. If you are new to online gambling, you may be puzzled over some of the terms you will find. Here are some definitions for the most common terms you will see.

Action – this means the amount of money bet or in the pot
Ante – this is the small bet that each player must make before each hand in a game of poker
Bankroll – this just means the amount of money a gambler has available to play
Betting limits – tables games tend to have minimum bet amounts as well as a maximum. You must bet between those two numbers to stay in that game.
Boat – same thing as full house
Bust – going over 21 in blackjack (automatically losing hand)
Casino advantage – the amount of edge the casino has versus the players
Cold – someone who is on a losing streak
Croupier – another name for dealer, common to baccarat
Deuce – slang for a two card
Dime bet – a bet of $1000
High roller – someone who bets large amounts
Hot – a player on a winning streak
Payline – the line on a video slot machine where the symbols need to line up
Progressive – usually a video slot game where the jackpot gets higher with every play until someone hits it

The longest poker session by one player, offline at least, was set by Larry Olmsted in 2026 who played Seven Card Stud at Foxwoods in Connecticut, US for 72 straight hours. He turned his $100 gambling stake into about $1000 during the session. Oddly enough, Larry also holds the record for the longest distance traveled between golf rounds.

You might think that the world’s largest casino was in Las Vegas or exotic Macau…but you’d be wrong. As of 2026, the largest casino is actually on the east coast of the US and it’s the same as mentioned above – Foxwoods. Their expansion at that time added almost 2 million square feet to the already massive 4.7 million square foot complex.

The first lottery as we know them was held in 1434 in a section of Europe that included France, Holland, Belgium and Flanders. People could buy the tickets and hope that the number of their ticket would win a cash prize. This system was devised to come up with revenue for the government to help the poor and fortify the towns for protection.

The first Triple Crown winner was Sir Barton in 1919, ridden by Johnny Loftus as jockey. It took 44 years of the prize being available before it was won and it has only been won 10 times since. The last time was back in 2026.

The first World Series of Poker was organized by a casino owner named Jack Binion. In 2026, he invited seven of the best poker players he knew to come to Las Vegas to compete in the tournament. Those seven initial players remain as legends to this day: Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, Crandell Addington, Carl Cannon, Sailor Roberts, Johnny Moss and "Amarillo Slim" Preston. There wasn’t even any cash prize at the first tournament, only a silver cup. The bracelet that is now familiar wasn’t introduced until 2026.

The EGBA is a non-profit trade association for online gambling operators. It was founded in 2026 by seven of the top online gaming companies in Europe: Bet-at-home, Bwin, Carmen Media Group, Digibet, Expekt Sportwetten, Interwetten Gaming Limited and Party Gaming. The association is funded through donations and membership dues.

The organization’s goals are two-pronged. They wish to encourage and reward fair and responsible gambling policies and has a code of conduct which must be adhered to by all its members. They also are determined to create a standardized online gaming industry across Europe. To that end, they have and will take legal action as needed to lobby governments to stop state monopolies and to not ban online gambling within those countries. Their overall goal would be to have a competitive, yet regulated European gaming industry.

In order to become a member of EGBA, online casino operators must pass some pretty strict requirements. The casino must offer round the clock customer service access to patrons. They must have a system in place to check customers for any signs of illegal activities, including fraud or money laundering. Any online casino that joins with EGBA agrees to have independent audits done on their operations annually.

As you can see, joining the EGBA is not as simple as applying and paying the annual dues. A casino operator must pass pretty vigorous tests in order to qualify for membership. Any site that is associated with the EGBA will have the organization’s logo displayed proudly on their site or at least mention the membership. That would be a good sign that the online casino is a legitimate and honest place to gamble.

Once you have learned the basics of how to play poker, the next step would be to take part in a live online poker event. All this means is that rather than playing against the computer, you are now ready to test your skills and get more practice while playing other poker players in an online poker room. There you will find your opponents could come from all over the world but you will be playing poker with them in real time.

Many people referring to online poker tournaments when they say live online poker event and that is a step beyond simply playing poker in the poker rooms. There are two main types of tournaments, the freeroll poker tournament and the guaranteed poker tournament. Both are multi-table tournaments with over ten players on up to thousands at the same time. Freeroll doesn’t require a fee for entry while there is a certain fee for guaranteed tournaments, as well as a buy-in.

It would be wiser for the novice poker player to stick to regular poker rooms and simple games for a bit before entering a tournament. Practice your skills against live opponents and sharpen them before attempting a tournament. Once you feel that you are ready, though, make sure to start off with a tournament that is at your level. You don’t want to jump into a tournament with all highly skilled poker players while you are still getting a feel for the game. That’s a sure way to just lose your money quickly.

When you research any online casinos, one sign that they are reputable would be to have some sort of objective certification from an outside agency. You can read reviews but it can be hard to sort the honest reviews from those of affiliates who just want to get you to sign up so they get a commission. There are outside agencies that don’t have a monetary stake in whether you become a member or not so they are a good way to know that you’ve found a trustworthy site. One such outside agency is known as eCOGRA and this is one of the top certifications you can find.

The acronym, eCOGRA, stands for e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance. They are an independent, non-profit group that sets standards for best practices in the online gambling industry. They base these standards in three main areas: player protection, fair gaming and responsible conduct. Any online casino to display the eCOGRA seal must pass some strict tests to ensure that they are compliant with all the standards that eCOGRA adheres to.

In order for a site to be allowed to display the eCOGRA seal of approval they must be providing third party continuous monitoring of gaming transactions that show proof of fair gaming practices, timely payouts, good support and honesty in all aspects of operations. If at any point a company fails to comply with all the regulations, seals can and will be revoked.

The organization also offers an independent complaint resolution for those who feel that they did not work things out satisfactorily with the online casino itself. They even have an advocacy program on their website should you feel the need to have someone mediate between yourself and the online casino. Should you ever have an issue with one of the approved eCOGRA providers, they will help you to resolve it with speed and fairness to all parties.

Some of the sites that currently proudly display the eCOGRA seal include Platinum Play Casino, 888, Spin Palace Casino, Golden Riviera Casino and Roxy Palace Casino. These are just a few of a long list that can be found at the organizations website. Check on the online casino site or at eCOGRAs website to see if an online casino has passed the rigorous tests needed to ensure that the site is a fair and honest place to gamble.

Before you consider entering an online poker tournament there are some things you should consider. One of the most important things, assuming you want to actually win, is that your poker playing skills are up to to snuff. If you are relatively new to online poker or poker in general, it would be highly advisable to put in a lot of practice before buying in to a tournament.

If you are a good poker player and truly feel that you are ready for the challenge on online poker tournament, then do some planning to be sure that you are set and ready to play in absolute top form that day. Obviously, make sure that you have several hours available to participate because today’s tournaments can run several hours. You certainly don’t want to have to leave while the tournament is still going on.

Make sure that you get plenty of sleep the day before the tournament. If you are tired, you will not be as sharp mentally as you should be and poker takes a lot of thinking and planning to win. Also be sure to eat right during the day before the tournament so that you maintain energy and blood sugar levels. It’s a good idea to have a snack available should you need it during game play.

As with any poker game, have some patience and wait for the good cards before betting significantly. You always want to fold more than you play overall. Some players in tournaments will tell you to play really aggressively in the beginning to build up a stack of chips; others will tell you to be conservative all the way through. You need to play the way that you are comfortable so go with your instinct here, as long as you have the basic strategies covered.

Online casino tournaments are an exciting way to get large jackpots while showing off your skills in a competition. Tournaments are a great way to get your name known, particularly if it’s a skill-based game like poker with lots of huge tournaments every year. While pretty much any casino game could be made into a tournament, there are only three that are really common today.

Slots tournaments are one that you hear about a lot. You may think slots are just a game of chance so where is the skill and excitement of competition? Well, with online slots tournaments the players all begin with the same number of credits and play for a certain length of time. At the end of that time, whoever has the most credits will win the tournament. The skill part of a slots tournament lies in using the proper betting strategy and being able to play faster than the rest while maximizing your winnings.

Blackjack tournaments are not as well known but they are held and great blackjack players can win some incredible jackpots. In a blackjack tournament, players each have the same number of hands against the dealer – generally about 30. The point, of course, is to have the most chips at the end of the round. Not only do you have to outplay the dealer, you also need to beat the chip stack of the competition. This takes blackjack skill and betting management skills.

Poker tournaments, particularly Texas Hold’em poker, have been hugely popular and successful over the past few years. The World Series of Poker is one of the largest tournament schedules and it attracts the best poker players in the world to the competition. In a poker tournament, the players normally begin with the same amount of chips and are eliminated when they lose all of their chips. In the end, the player with the most chips wins, as it should be. That player will win the jackpot but there is usually a prize for several of the top players according to how long they lasted in the tournament.

One thing that people tend to worry about when they are new to casino gambling, both offline and on, is that the other players will try to cheat them out of their hard won dollars. Unfortunately, it is a fact that whenever there is a lot of money at stake, there will always be those who want to cheat to try to get it. Unlike a neighborhood poker game, though, the casinos go to great lengths to catch and prevent cheaters from getting anywhere.

Casino staff and security are continually trained in the art of detecting those attempting to cheat the system and they are pretty good at it, too. Very few cheaters prosper for long with the technology available today. Online casinos are even harder for a player to cheat. Security features are built right into the software to stop cheaters before they get very far at all.

So dishonest players aren’t going to get ahead with the online casinos but what about dishonest casinos? We can’t ignore that the potential is there. Some online casinos set up shop, collect peoples deposits and then find a reason not to pay them. Others simply collect a lot of deposits and set the software so that players can’t win. Then there are those that simply disappear overnight.

Sadly, there has been a few big scandals where insiders that worked for the online casinos have set up systems to syphon off funds and otherwise scam players. These dishonest employees hurt the reputation of otherwise reputable companies. Most online casinos have a systems of checks and oversight in place so that this cannot happen. Those that didn’t before the scandals certainly made sure it was so after they came out.

Most online casinos are complete legitimate business so this is not something you need to be overly concerned with. However, there are a few things that you can watch for to reassure yourself that you are dealing with a reputable provider. Make sure that you only play at online casinos that have clearly posted policies and good customer support around the clock. Check for certifications from governing bodies or outside auditing agencies as well as for licensing from some place with regulatory oversight.

Do your due diligence before depositing any funds with an unfamiliar online casino. You can search the internet for feedback from other players and sites that review casinos. With the review sites, make sure that they are giving unbiased reviews and not just saying everything is hunky-dory because they want to make a commission off your sign up.