The glamour of casinos and high-end gambling is one of Hollywood’s favorite topics. Over time, the movie industry has created some iconic characters that are attracted to gambling. The full list would contain hundreds, if not thousands of names, so we narrowed it down to the most memorable gambling characters of all time.

Raymond Babbit 

Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of Raymond Babbit, an autistic man with a savant syndrome, is one of the most memorable roles in his illustrious career. Among other things, Raymond has a penchant for counting cards, a gift his long-lost brother Charlie (played by Tom Cruise) plans on exploiting. As soon as he discovers Raymond’s ability, he takes him to Las Vegas and seats him down at a blackjack table. Despite the fact that it is almost impossible to count cards with a six-deck shoe, they manage to win enough money to pay back Charlie’s debt, before they are asked to leave. The casino scene is a legendary one, but there is more to Rain Man than that and if you didn’t already, we strongly recommend watching it.

Teddy KGB

Poker wasn't a popular and mainstream game as it is now. These days, if you are looking for an online casino to play a few hands of poker, you can simply check it out here and choose one. Before the Rounders, it wasn’t as easy. Underground clubs and characters depicted in the movie are mostly based on real places and people. One of those people is the infamous Teddy KGB, played masterfully by John Malkovich. The movie and Malkovich’s role, together with the rest of the cast, made poker cool and set the stage for its popularity today. As far as Teddy goes, describing him simply isn’t enough. Do yourself a favor and watch the movie. Even if you don’t like poker much, you will enjoy it.

Sam “Ace” Rothstein

A Martin Scorsese’s Casino is one of those movies that simply overwhelms you with talent and brilliant acting.  Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, and James Woods are just some of the names Scorsese cast in this masterpiece. This entire article could have been written about it and the characters in it. Still, if we had to pick just one, it had to be Ginger McKenna, played by Sharon Stone. Ginger is a true hustler that perfectly depicts the Las Vegas of the 1970s and 1980s. The main character, Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro) falls in love with her, setting the stage for epic betrayal. In the end, despite Ace’s best effort, Ginger remains true to herself and her hustling.

Micky Rosa

Based on real events, 21 tells the story of MIT professor Micky Rosa and a group of his students who conspired to make themselves rich by playing blackjack in Las Vegas. Thanks to their impressive math minds and knowledge, they manage to do so, only to have their winnings stolen. Kevin Spacey plays professor Rosa and is the mastermind behind the plot. In real life, events unfolded far better than in a movie, and students who were involved in the MIT Blackjack Team made off with millions of dollars of Atlantic City casinos’ money. For once, reality is even more fantastic than fiction.

Bond. James Bond.

For the finale, we have the world’s most famous secret agent, the legendary 007. The tone was set with the first Bond movie, Dr. No from 1962. In fact, the first time we see Sean Connery is in a fictional London casino. Since, then, you would be hard-pressed to find a Bond movie without at least one casino scene. From Nassau to Monte Carlo to Las Vegas to Macau, Bond movies feature some of the most iconic casinos on the planet. And Mr. Bond managed to win a lot of money in every single one of them.