Pathological gambling in motion pictures; A systematic review

Gambling is the act of risking the loss of something of value (money) on an uncertain outcome in the hope of winning something of greater value (money). Gambling has often been a popular topic for myths, operas, books, songs, and in recent years, motion pictures [1]. Portrayals in the media undoubtedly have a large impact on how we perceive the world in which we live, especially matters we know little or nothing about [2]. Pathological gambling has been described by the American Psychiatric Association “as a chronic progressive failure to resist impulses to gamble, and gambling behavior that compromises, disrupts, or damages personal, family, or vocational pursuits [3].” Pathological gambling is a social concern that has been portrayed by many moviemakers around the world, although the depth to which fi lms explore the issue varies greatly. The world of gambling and gamblers has been portrayed in many fi lms throughout the years [2]. Abstract

Turner reviewed 65 fi lms that focused on gambling and he found 8 overlapping themes represented in those movies [1]. Another 2 papers analyzed the main protagonists of 9 and 10 Hong Kong movies, respectively, from a psychological perspective [4,5].
The aim of this study was to analyze movies portraying pathological gambling based on a comprehensive sample.

Selection of movies portraying gambling
A total of 102 movies related to gambling were collected by a keyword search in the International Movie Database (IMDB; www.imdb.com).
Among the 102 movies, 27 were selected in which the storyline was directly related to gambling, and the others (type 3, 75 movies) were excluded. In the 27 selected titles, the movies in which a gambling scene was portrayed as part of the plot and the results of gambling infl uenced the development of the storyline were included (type 1, 16 movies). The other 11 movies (type 2) were excluded ( Figure 1). Sample size for each parameter could vary depending on whether enough information.
The remaining 16 movies selected were focused on the card games.

Analysis of movies
The fi lms were reviewed and analyzed according to the following parameters:  4. Reason and purpose: Among the 13 movies for which enough information was presented to assess this parameter, the reasons why the protagonist fi rst started gambling was mostly being tempted (6, 46%). In the full sample of 16 movies, their purpose for gambling was money and to get rich (13, 81%). In 21 and Rounders the students gambled to earn their tuition fees. In The Hangover, a dentist gambled to rescue a kidnapped friend. In only 2 fi lms, the protagonist gambled for revenge (Sting) or honor and love (A Knight's Tale). 5. Game: Most of the gambling sites were casinos (5 of 16 fi lms, 31%) or gambling houses (4, 25%). The most frequent type of gambling was poker (6 of 15 fi lms, 40%), followed by blackjack (2, 13%) and sports gambling (2, 13%). Among the 16 movies, 10 (63%) portrayed illegal gambling, while only 6 (37%) showed legal gambling.
6. Nature of gambling: In more than half of the fi lms, the gaming was moderate (9 of 16 titles, 56%). In the rest of the titles (7, 42%), the gaming was compulsive.

Discussion
Turner reviewed 65 gambling fi lms and he found 8 overlapping themes represented in those movies: (1) pathological gambling, (2) the magical skill of the professional gambler, (3) miraculous wins as happy endings, (4) gamblers are suckers, (5) gamblers cheat, (6) gambling is run by  Empirical research on cultural infl uences on gambling behavior is still scarce, but converging research evidence sheds light on the psychological mechanism that underlies gambling, the risk factors for gambling and protective factors against gambling, and its role in regulating mood. Another line of research has also linked gambling to adjustment stress, the unavailability of other types of leisure activities, and various types of erroneous cognition regarding the odds of winning [5].
Fictional fi lms including gambling do not have to be accurate. However, the producers and distributors should have some responsibility for the content of their fi lms.

Conclusion
Some people may only encounter gambling through movies or other media, not in their actual experiences. How such people perceive gambling based on the information they receive through the media may not correspond to reality.
In most of the movie, even though the protagonist did not won at gambling, and even if he won, showed low possibility of became happy (30%), Moreover, the protagonist died during the game or was murdered as a result (20%). On the contrary, despite losing money, the protagonist became happy by obtaining wisdom as a result of his failure at gambling In 4 movies (40%).
We hope that above results of this study may be helpful for educating gambling addicts.