Roulette in Literature, Film, and Television

James Bond and His Famed Black 17 Bet

Baccarat, poker, craps, roulette, you name it, the top agent of the British Crown has played it all. And indeed, the suave spy is often shown sauntering on lavish casino floors and beating the house at its own game.

What many movie buffs do not know is that roulette is Bond’s original game of choice. It is frequently featured in Ian Fleming’s 007 books. Roulette made a legendary appearance in the seventh installment in the Bond series, Diamonds Are Forever from 1971.

The scenes were shot at the roulette tables of Sin City’s Circus Circus Casino, with the opening credits giving us a glimpse of Sean Connery ramming the villain’s head into a roulette wheel. Another scene shows how Bond is already at the table and wins straight up with 17 black.

The irony lies in the fact that Connery won big with the same number during a 1963 visit to Casino de la Vallée Saint Vincent in Italy. The actor put an unknown amount on the line with a bet on 17 black and lost twice in a row.

Connery persisted and bet on 17 again, which hit on the third spin. The actor let his winnings ride and again won with 17.

Instead of calling it quits, Connery let it ride again only to score a third consecutive win with this number at astronomically small odds of 1 to 50,653. The actor left the roulette table $27,000 richer, which amounts to over $220,000 in today’s money.

It is no surprise 17 black has become the most commonly wagered individual number in roulette since this then. Mike Ashley, the owner of Newcastle United, scored £1.3 million in 2008 by betting 17 black to the maximum, which further boosted this lucky number’s popularity.

The Gaffed Wheel in Rick's Café Americain in Casablanca

Roulette makes an iconic appearance in Casablanca, the timeless masterpiece starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman that received three Academy Awards in 1943. The film takes us to Morocco in the early 1940s. Bogart’s character Rick Blaine runs illegal gambling operations in his Café Americain.

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie takes place at the roulette table. A young Bulgarian couple, Annina and Jan, gamble their life savings in an attempt to win enough money to purchase visas that would allow them to flee to the United States.

The couple is losing hard when Bogart’s character walks over to the roulette table and loudly suggests Jan should play 22 black. The number appears on the next spin and Rick insists that Jan and the croupier should stick with 22 black. Of course, it hits again because the wheel is gaffed. This puts an end to the young couple’s financial struggles and they flee to the States.

The roulette table is of great significance in Casablanca. This is where Rick commits his first unselfish act since Ilsa (Bergman’s character) left him. This iconic scene was later referenced in Lost in America (1985) where a married couple also bets on 22 black but loses everything to the wheel in Las Vegas’ Desert Inn Casino.

A similar streak occurs in the three-plot flick Run Lola Run from 1998. The eponymous character Lola (played by Franka Potente) is given 20 minutes to deliver the hefty sum of 100,000 Deutsche Mark or else her boyfriend will be killed.

In one of the three plots, Lola goes to the casino and posts a 100 chip on 20 black. She wins straight up, lets it ride, and wins again with the same number, collecting 126,000 Deutsche Mark from her roulette exploits.

The Devil's Wheel in Mike Hodges' Croupier

Mike Hodges’ Croupier is easily one of the most iconic gambling-related flicks to ever hit the silver screen. As you might have guessed from the title, roulette is prominently featured in this 1998 neo-noir movie.

Well-received by critics in the UK and the USA, Croupier helped launch the carrier of actor Clive Owen, who went on to star in other Hollywood blockbusters like The Bourne Identity and Children of Men.

The movie relates the story of struggling writer Jack Manfred (played by Owen), who takes up a croupier job to make ends meet and find inspiration for his book. Jack becomes entangled in the gambling business and eventually plays a central role in the planned robbery of the casino he works in.

The significance of Croupier is undeniable. Few gambling-related films succeed in recreating the atmosphere of the casino floor with such authenticity. The movie offers some of the most realistic casino depictions ever captured on film.

What’s unique about Croupier is that it shows us things from the perspective of the casino employee who is confronted with corruption and devastating losses on a day-to-day basis. According to some critics, the film conveys the idea that life, like roulette, is a game of chance.

Several Honorable Mentions

The three movies we talked about above have acquired the status of timeless masterpieces. Roulette also makes notable appearances in several other flicks we cover in brief below. Here are our honorable mentions of roulette on the silver screen:

• The Sting (1973) with Paul Newman and Robert Redford where 22 black hits on another gaffed wheel.
• Indecent Proposal (1993) with Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson where a billionaire offers a man $1 million in exchange for sleeping with his wife. The roulette table is where the three main characters meet.
• Havana (1990) with Lena Olin and Robert Redford relates the story of a professional gambler (played by Redford) during his exploits in Havana. Redford’s character Jack advises a woman at the roulette table to bet on red or black instead of posting straight-up bets. When the woman asks him whether this would increase her chances of winning, the pro explains that she will still lose but at a slower pace.
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) with Steve Martin and Michael Caine where two conmen play roulette while trying to scam a contest winner on a paid vacation to France who they believe is a wealthy American heiress.