Lynnae is a journalist covering the intersection of technology, culture, and gambling. She has more than five years of experience as a writer and editor, with bylines at SlashGear and MakeUseOf. On the iGaming side,...
Read Full BioWith the release of the trailer for the film “Ballad of a Small Player,” Netflix’s upcoming psychological thriller starring Colin Farrell, we’re reminded of just how popular stories about gambling are in pop culture. Whether we’re talking about bookmakers trying to survive in HBO Max’s “Bookie” or casino power struggles in Disney+’s “Big Bet,” gambling-themed narratives continue to be a crowd favorite.
“Ballad of a Small Player” is an adaptation of Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel of the same name and is set to debut with a limited theatrical run beginning October 15, 2025, ahead of its worldwide release on Netflix on October 29. The movie follows the life of Lord Doyle, played by Farrell, as he grapples with addiction and debt as he tries to keep his head above water in Macau’s casino world.
Netflix isn’t the only platform looking to hook audiences with tales of gambling and all of the risks, rewards, and human drama that come with it. From dark comedies to international thrillers, streaming services are betting that these stories will draw viewers in and will keep them coming back for more.
How Netflix Leaned Into Gambling, Then Stepped Into the Ring
If you’re a fan of gambling stories and have a Netflix subscription, you know that “Ballad of a Small Player” isn’t its first foray into this genre. Even before the streaming giant began producing its own gambling content, it was already home to popular movies that explored the subject.
From Aaron Sorkin’s 2017 biopic “Molly’s Game,” which tells the story of the rise and fall of an underground poker empire to hits like “Uncut Gems” (2019), the tense thriller where Adam Sandler stars as a New York jeweler who risks it all on a series of dangerous bets, Netflix has packed its catalog with titles that put gambling front and center. These licensed hits went a long way in establishing Netflix as a go-to destination for anyone wanting to enjoy high-stakes storytelling.
So it’s not too surprising that it didn’t take long for Netflix to start putting its own stamp on the genre. In its darkly comic 2017 original, “Win It All,” we follow the story of Eddie, a Chicago man who agrees to hold onto a duffel bag of cash for a friend heading to prison. But when temptation gets the better of him and he decides to gamble some of it, he quickly finds himself in over his head.
More recently, Netflix treated viewers to some experimental storytelling that centered on mastering the odds in Wes Anderson’s visually striking short, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” (2023), based on Roald Dahl’s story of a wealthy man who discovers a secret technique that could change his luck at the tables. The film gives viewers a front seat to his journey as he decides how far he’s willing to go to use it.
Netflix isn’t limiting itself to gambling films, as “Bet” (2025), its latest high-stakes series, shows. This teen psychological thriller was inspired by the Japanese manga “Kakegurui” and follows the life of Yumeko, a bold newcomer who puts her gambling skills to the test as she turns an elite boarding school’s power structure upside down.
On the non-fiction side of things, Netflix’s docuseries “Bad Sport” (2021) gives us an inside view of how betting scandals unfold in the real world. It features firsthand accounts from athletes, coaches, and investigators in a six-part series that examines how ambition, money, and risk collide in ways that can change careers and lives forever.
Netflix isn’t just taking a shot in the dark with gambling stories, hoping they’ll work. Instead, it knows that viewers are attracted to the skill, strategy, tension, and risk that make these types of shows so enjoyable. And Netflix isn’t the only game in town. As the streaming wars heat up, other services are ramping up their gambling-driven content, too.
How Other Streaming Players Are Raising the Stakes
Netflix has a deep catalog of gambling content, but it’s by no means the only platform that has invested in the genre. All we have to do is look at some of the other major streaming services to get an idea of how competitive this space has become. While the titles we list here aren’t an exhaustive list of the gambling-related content available across platforms, they illustrate the genre’s continued popularity and growing influence in streaming.
For those with a subscription to HBO Max and an interest in stories about the world of bookmaking and sports betting, “Bookie” (2023–2025) is a must-watch series. The comedy tells the story of Danny, a veteran Los Angeles bookmaker, as he scrambles to survive as technology and the legalization of sports gambling threaten to unravel the life he’s built.
If we head over to Peacock, we find “Poker Face” (2023–present), a mystery-of-the-week series about Charlie, a woman who uses her uncanny ability to detect lies to solve murders. While the show doesn’t revolve around casinos or betting, several episodes play out in casinos or have gambling themes.
While Disney+ is probably best known for its kid-friendly shows and its extensive library of Marvel content, the streaming platform isn’t sleeping on gambling content. It’s home to “Big Bet” (2022–2023), a Korean gambling drama about a disgraced casino tycoon who’s framed for murder in Manila. As he works to clear his name, the show takes viewers on a journey through a world of betrayal, ambition, and empire-building.
If we turn our attention to documentaries for a moment, there’s “Hustlers, Gamblers & Crooks” (2024) on HBO Max (and Hulu), which profiles real-life hustlers, grifters, and con artists involved in high-stakes deception, while “Vegas: The Story of Sin City” (2024) charts Las Vegas’s rise from desert town to global gambling capital.
Taken together, all of these titles give us a glimpse into how streaming platforms are telling gambling stories. Looking at the depth and breadth of their offerings, it’s safe to say that the popularity of this genre shows no signs of slowing down.
Why Gambling Stories Keep Audiences Hooked
If you asked 100 people why gambling stories are so popular, you’d probably get 100 different answers. Even still, themes like greed and danger have made this genre so appealing and are a big part of the reason it has remained a mainstay in film and television for decades.
Whether we’re talking about the “Gambler” (1974) or HBO’s “Luck” (2011–2012), our fascination with these stories hasn’t changed much; we just have more ways to experience them thanks to streaming platforms.
Just like when you stand at a roulette table in Vegas and place a bet or hit “spin” in an online casino, gambling stories come with tension and suspense already baked into the plot. There’s also the cultural aspect, where many of us have come to know gambling as a social activity and are familiar with the surroundings, settings, and shared excitement of casinos, even if we’ve only experienced them through movies and TV shows.
These stories also tend to have a psychological depth that attracts viewers. After all, with tales of addiction, desperation, and near-misses, they mirror real human experiences in a way that can make them almost impossible to look away from.
Gambling stories are also universal. That’s why shows like the U.S. comedy “Bookie” and the South Korean crime saga “Big Bet” have attracted viewers well beyond their local markets. With the release of “Ballad of a Small Player,” Netflix isn’t just adding another title to its catalog; it’s leaning into a genre that has consistently proven successful with audiences.
As streaming services continue to compete for viewers, it’s almost certain that they’ll keep betting big on gambling stories.
