The world of casinos has been depicted time and time again on the silver screen. It’s a setting that is naturally filled with drama, intensity, excitement, disappointment and every other imaginable emotion in between.
| Sponsored post |
While the modern movie landscape is bursting with CGI and green screens, some classic casino-based movies have been shot in real, brick-and-mortar locations. Better still, some of the most iconic movies were filmed in Europe and were done so at real, operational casinos that you can go and visit yourself.
Of course, most of the movies depict glamorous casino settings, where everyone looks flawless and money flows like it is no object. It’s a world away from a highly-ranked 5 minimum deposit casino that people conveniently play from home. But if you are looking for a great casino real-world experience to accompany online play, it may be time to pack your bags and hit some of these locations.
Casino de Monte-Carlo
The James Bond movie franchise alone has done a lot to keep the world of casinos in the mainstream. Although scenes always involve high-roller games of chance and not sitting at the penny slots, the super spy is arguably one of the most famous fictional characters that often shows up in a casino.
The Casino de Monte-Carlo has been used as a location several times in James Bond movies. It was featured in ‘GoldenEye’ and ‘Never Say Never Again’, for example.
As well as the Bond movies, some of Ocean’s Twelve was shot at the venue, as were many scenes from Nicole Kidman’s 2014 movie ‘Grace of Monaco’.
Casino de Monte-Carlo is as grand of a casino as you can get. It’s palatial and relatively easy to get to on the south coast of France, overlooking the Mediterranean.
There are no direct flights to Monaco, and the best option is to fly into Nice Cote d’Azur and drive there, as it’s only 11 miles away.
Palácio Estoril Hotel and Casino
Over on the Iberian coast, more James Bond action was filmed at the Palácio Estoril Hotel and Casino. The Portuguese location is one of the biggest working casinos in Europe, with its towering hotel overlooking the sea.
The location is around 11 miles southwest of Lisbon, making it easily accessible from the city. If not staying there, it’s certainly within reach of a day or evening trip to visit the spot where the suave British super spy took on one of the greatest Bond villains, Blofeld.
The Palácio Estoril Hotel and Casino was featured in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (1969) which starred George Lazenby sauntering down the stairs into a very purple and gold casino floor for a game of blackjack.
Place du Casino
Back to Monaco, the Place du Casino is another movie location that you can visit. This area was used in Robert Downey Jr’s 2010 flick ‘Iron Man 2’.
Part of the set-up for the action in Place du Casino, was the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the most iconic F1 races around.
Around the Place du Casino, there is a clutch of stunning European casinos where some amazing scenes for ‘Iron Man 2’ were shot, including when Vanko attacked Tony Stark’s car close to the famous Port Hercules.
The Place du Casino underwent some modernisation in recent years, with new gardens and an oasis-like feel. There are cafés around the area which have a lot of pedestrian space and it’s well worth a visit to pass some relaxing time with the backdrop of favourite casinos that you will recognise from the silver screen.
Grandhotel Pupp
This is a slightly more confusing one, as the Grandhotel Pupp is located in the Czech Republic, but in the movie ‘Casino Royale’, it was called the Hotel Splendide and based in Montenegro. The Kaiserbad Spa close by was used for the actual casino setting in the movie.
The Grandhotel Pupp is a 5-star hotel which dates back to the 18th century in Karlovy Vary, which is one of the world’s most stunning getaways for natural hot springs. Karlovy Vary is about 90 minutes away from Prague via train.
Casino film locations beyond the Atlantic
Many more movies have been shot across the Atlantic in the USA. Plenty of the major ones like Martin Scorcese’s ‘Casino’ featuring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone were shot at many locations in and around Las Vegas.
‘Ocean’s 11’ was filmed in Sin City, as was ‘The Hangover’, which was mostly shot around one of the most famous casinos in the world, Caesars Palace. If you are looking for a trip a little further afield, you can catch a lot of movie locations in the gambling capital of the world.
