Las Vegas is a very popular setting for movies. Although you could probably name quite a few movies set there, if you had to guess how many titles on IMDb were shot there, your guess would probably be way too low. It’s a stunning 8,817! But how come Las Vegas is such a popular place? And what’s the history of this city that is known for it’s casinos, bright lights and an atmosphere where almost anything seems to go. Time to have a look!

In 1821 it was Rafael Rivera who gave the city its name. The name means ‘the meadows’ and it is where he stopped for water on his way to Los Angeles. A settlement was founded there in 1905. It wasn’t until work started on the Hoover Dam in 1931 that the town quickly grew from 5000 to 25000. Mostly single men came there to work, which meant an opportunity to make money for the mob, who built casinos and theatres to watch showgirls. As the state also saw that gambling might be good for local business, it was made legal. When the dam was completed in 1935 it became it slowly started becoming a tourist attraction, which also resulted in an increase hotels in Las Vegas. The first resort to open, on what would later become the Las Vegas strip, would be El Rancho Vegas. Although the mafia never owned big casinos before, that changed when Bugsy Siegel built The Flamingo in 1946. Many other mob figures followed suit and it resulted in casinos with exotic names like The Tropicana, The Sahara, The Sands, The Riviera and many more. Over $200 million was spend in those years, which meant big stars also came there to perform (for example Liberace, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin). Although investigations were done about organised crime, no real action was taken.

The start of the modern Las Vegas changed when Howard Hughes moved into Las Vegas. With his wealth he started buying a lot of casinos and hotels (also those run by the mob), slowly changing the town. It no longer was a wild town, but more of a cosmopolitan place you’d want to visit. Las Vegas kept on growing and it was at the end of the eighties that it offered something new: the mega resort. The first one was The Mirage, which not only offered gambling, but also entertainment in various ways. Because of this it has become more family friendly and it is a spot which many people love visiting. In movies though it remains a city where it is often about gambling or doing crazy things. Visually the city of course is a dream to film, with its bright lights, stories about people who win big at the casinos and excessive buildings. These are some of the most memorable movies set in Las Vegas (and if you don’t feel like going there you can always find them online, for example live casino uk) :

The Hangover

Of course there are various movies in which a group of guys (or girls) travel to Las Vegas in order to have a bachelor party, but none are as memorable as this one in which no one remembers what happened the night before and where a tiger in a bathroom isn’t the craziest thing

Casino

This Martin Scorsese classic can’t be forgotten. Set during the time when the mob still had a firm hold on gambling and starring Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone, it tells a great story with beautiful imagery.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Things get extreme in this telling of the adventures Hunter S. Thompson had there

Ocean’s Eleven

The glitz and glamour mixed with a heist movie results in an thrilling watch.

Showgirls

Although this Paul Verhoeven film bombed, it gained a cult following and wasn’t forgotten. It tells the story of a stripper who wants to be at the top.

Leaving Las Vegas

You’d almost forget it now, but Nicolas Cage was nominated and won an Oscar for his role in this film, about a Hollywood screenwriter arriving there to drink himself to death.

What are you favourite movies set in Las Vegas?