The Hot Shoe

Dream city, Sin City, a mirage in the desert, Las Vegas is a film set in its own right, a piece of pop art, an outdoor museum of American culture. What is the story behind the neon lights and fantastical buildings? What will its future be in these tough times? Alan Yentob takes a mob tour and talks to producers and performers about the golden days when Sinatra and Dino held the stage, and the wise guys called the shots.

Internet comedian Carl Déman from the humor group JLC lived a life that looked glorious. But beneath the surface was a terrible gambling addiction that almost cost him his life. In 2019, he and other gambling addicts struggle to stay afloat in a contemporary age marinated in gambling advertising. Carl wants to ask those who make the advertising how they think and wonders why the advertising profiles now also come from the world of culture and entertainment.

Documentary tracing the attempts of a team of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Institue students to become rich playing blackjack at casinos throughout the United States and the attempts of the casinos' management to thwart them.

Top gaming instructor David Wilhite shows you how to play to win at craps!

An in depth look at the full effect of State Lotteries on the players and the people around them.

Gardeners, veterinarians and breeders. And some imposing mammals capable of running at seventy kilometers per hour: the baths in the sun, the runway before the confrontation. And the money, the bets and the runners speed around a dizzying track.

Years after serving time for betting on games he officiated, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy revisits the scandal that shook up the league.

Top gaming instructor David Wilhite shows you how to play to win at Blackjack!

“The NFL Today” on CBS was one of the preeminent sports programs on television in the early 1980s. It was a perfect combination of reporting, analysis, predictions, humor and talent. But there was no personality on the show more popular than Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Greek immigrants, Jimmy overcame childhood tragedy, moved to Las Vegas, and eventually became the biggest name in the world of sports handicapping. When CBS added him as an “analyst” on “The NFL Today,” “The Greek” not only further increased his stature as a sort of national folk hero, but he also gained an air of respectability never before associated with gamblers. Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Fritz Mitchell, who broke in as an intern on “The NFL Today,” will examine Snyder’s impact on the growth of sports gambling, while also taking a fresh look at The Greek’s tragic downfall.

An apartment for 3.30 forints. Petra Pelsőczy's film deals with LOTTO houses and their owners of the 1960s.

Las Vegas — to many it's a 24-hour fantasy world filled with showgirls, high rollers and outrageous theme hotels. With a roll of the dice, 75 year-old Lou stakes everything to retire and start a new life there. But beneath the glittering surface of the city, Lou discovers a world quite different from his dreams. This compassionate portrait follows Lou and several other residents over a two-year period, documenting a community living in the shadow of the Las Vegas strip, where gambling is a constant temptation and reality is more subtle and stirring than any game.

When Michelle Wong's brother, Philip, committed suicide at the age of 36, she felt that she had to find out why. Her film, Pieces of a Dream, is her attempt to understand her brother's death and to deal with his loss.

Die-hard regulars at a Canadian bingo hall, hope their next card will be the one that wins them the jackpot.

Documentary from 2010. Sheldon Adelson is the man who builds the world's largest casinos. Once, he was a poor boy from Boston but today the third richest man in the United States. Join a world that does not look at the problems of gambling, but the most exclusive of the world's casinos.

Comedian and presenter Lloyd Griffith embarks on an experiment to find out if he can uncover the secrets of gambling success and in the process learn the truth about how the industry operates.

This late 1940s/early 1950s rather graphic color film about carelessness and safety operating heavy machinery is presented by Caterpillar.

Tips and tricks on how to win on 80's and 90's slot machines!

A short documentary about my lovely aunt Lili. The film shows just a small part of her life. She is always on the lookout for luck, whether in love or with scratch-off tickets.

The high tech world of cheaters and catching them in the world of the Las Vegas casinos.

The film takes a look at a professional gambler, who very successfully specialized on the German version of the slot machine.