4 Iconic Female Characters in Gambling Movies

It’s a common misconception that gambling is more of a male pastime, whereas in reality there are just as many women who love games of chance. This is a fact that’s reflected on the silver screen as well, with many great movies inspired by gambling also having strong female characters at their core.

To prove just how influential the women of the cinema can be in gambling movies, here are just a few of the most impressive and enduring examples of characters that have caught our imagination over the years.

Ginger McKenna - Casino (1995)

Embodied by the unforgettable Sharon Stone, who was nominated for an Oscar for her powerhouse performance, the beautiful yet broken character of Ginger McKenna lights up the screen in this classic mob flick from Martin Scorsese.

Ginger is a classic gangster’s moll, caught up in the bright lights of Las Vegas and enamored by the Mafioso characters that inhabit it. She bewitches Robert De Niro’s casino-managing mobster, and their turbulent relationship underpins the ups and downs of the entire narrative.

While the trajectory of this character may end in tragedy, it’s not entirely without its moments of levity. And of course if you check out Casino and are left feeling a little deflated by the direction the plot takes, you can always cheer yourself up when you claim new free spins and no deposit offers from top online operators after the credits start rolling.

Molly Bloom – Molly’s Game (2017)

If Ginger McKenna is a character who is trying to tread water in a world of gambling that’s dominated by men, then Molly Bloom is the opposite. She’s the shark, and unprepared males are her fodder.

Bloom is a character based on a real life poker game host who made a fortune running underground tables in LA and New York during the 2000s. Her ability to charm rich and famous players, putting them at ease and keeping them coming back time and again, is apparent from Jessica Chastain’s portrayal.

While things don’t pan out exactly as Molly would have liked, there is a whole heap of charisma to her character that means we root for her even as she skirts the lines of the law and dices with some pretty dangerous people.

Vesper Lynd – Casino Royale (2006)

Much is made of Daniel Craig’s first outing as James Bond, and there’s no question that Casino Royale was a watermark moment for the long running franchise, moving it away from the silliness of the past and putting it into a grittier and more realistic mode which has served it so well ever since.

Vesper Lynd, played by Eva Green, is the perfect foil to Craig’s near-sociopathic secret agent. She’s seemingly smarter than him, more socially savvy than him, and most importantly she holds the purse strings to determine just how much of the nation’s money he can gamble in pursuit of villain Le Chiffre.

Annabelle Bransford – Maverick (1994)

All of the movies mentioned above are serious dramas, but with Maverick we get a gambling film which is a lighthearted comedy, and it makes a very pleasant change indeed.

A core part of the fun here is the character of Annabelle Bransford, played with a wink and a grin by Jodie Foster. While she may appear to be every inch the well turned out lady of the Wild West, she’s actually just as much of a fraudster as co-lead Mel Gibson’s Maverick. 

It’s also a pleasure to see Foster move away from her own past as a dramatic actress, and into a part which lets her show her sillier side.