It’s no secret that books cover various topics. Some of the authors will include characters who like to gamble with their fate. At the end of the book, they might succumb to their misgivings, or they might walk the right path. Gambling is a powerful metaphor for life and facing its challenges, as many authors and books have proven.
Some choose to focus on implementing casino culture in the world of literature. Several authors have captured the allure of the old casino establishments from back in the day. Some might go for the current state of the world of iGaming.
Most casino operators choose to cater to their fans online. For example, websites like Casino Days choose to cover an extensive list of game and promotional features. They will offer slots and table games, as well as several bonus offers. Players can safely enjoy these titles as the platform has multiple security tools keeping them secure 24/7. They can enjoy the games with their favorite payment methods and rely on round-the-clock customer support.
So far, there have been a couple of authors in the casino culture. They’ve also mentioned elements of that culture in some of their works.
Famous Writers and Their Fascination with Casinos
One of the most popular writers of all time is Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He’s known for many works such as Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, Notes from the Underground, and more. He’s famous for depicting characters during troubling times, often forced to do horrible deeds in their desperation. Eventually, these characters get a chance at redemption by devoting themselves to Christianity. Like many other authors, his first book was the one that started his franchise.
Interestingly enough, it was called The Gambler. There’s a character in the book fascinated with winning big on roulette. The character has some of the traits of the author, as Dostoyevsky was an avid roulette fan. It’s rumored that he liked the game for the thrill of it, often disregarding the fact that he had lost a lot of money.
There’s a story that he made a deal with his publisher to keep the right to all his books if Fyodor didn’t deliver the first one on time. Luckily, Dostoyevsky managed to do so in the nick of time and keep his rights. It’s rumored that he dictated The Gambler to his wife over the phone to reach the deadline.
Another titan of literature who was into casino games is Ian Fleming. He’s well-known for creating the fictional character of James Bond. He’s a suave agent in the service of Her Majesty, always looking for ways to take down his enemies. The books have inspired several blockbuster films with many actors donning the role of the titular agent.
Ian Fleming was an avid poker player, and he ascribed some of his skills to James. You can read about that in Casino Royale or just watch the film. James faces LeChiffre, a banker for all sorts of criminals, who organized a high-stakes poker tournament. James infiltrates the tournament and takes on the criminal mastermind in a tense poker game. Eventually, he manages to beat him and win a staggering amount of money. Either way, Bond is a great poker player because Ian Fleming was.
These are just some of the greats in the literature that were interested in casino games or culture. There are plenty of other authors who have focused on creating fictional characters or biographing the lives of real casino players. Either way, you’ll find their works exciting and educational.
Notable Casino-Inspired Books
Aside from The Gambler, which is considered one of the many legendary literary works, and Ian Fleming’s James Bond books, there are several other examples of casino-inspired literature. Ben Mezrich wrote such a book inspired by real events. The book is called Bringing Down the House and focuses on the adventure of the MIT Blackjack Team.
The team consisted of a bunch of students who learned how to count cards in blackjack. They used that knowledge at the blackjack tables in Vegas and won lots of prizes in 10 years. The story inspired certain film producers and they came up with 21, a decent adaptation of the story. There are some additional moments of drama inserted into the film to make it more compelling. It features spectacular performances by Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, and Laurence Fishburne.
The Gambler is another notable book. This one is written by William C. Rempel and focuses on Archie Karas. He became a casino legend in the 90s, by pulling off an incredible stunt. In December 1992 he entered Vegas with just 50 dollars. To fund his gaming session he got a loan of $10,000 and turned the money into $40 million by 1995. His casino streak is simply known as The Run in casino circles. That would have been all the money he’d need for the rest of his life.
He could have stopped playing casino games, and invested in several ventures to have a steady cash flow. However, he lost that spectacular sum the same year. Archie has claimed to have spent more money than anyone has on casino games. Either way, his life serves as a tragic story of a casino player who made it, and then lost it all because of his compulsive behavior.
To Wrap Up
There are a couple of authors so far that enjoyed casino games and put some of them in their books. Ian Fleming didn’t shy away from some poker, which is why James Bond is such a great poker player. Dostoyevsky was a roulette fanatic and put a character in his first book that closely resembles him.
The MIT Blackjack Team reigned supreme for a decade because of their card counting techniques. Archie Karas is a legend who had his winning streak and lost all of them in the same year. Casino authors shine a light on the industry and show casino fans how ugly it can get if they don’t enjoy their game responsibly.
