The Most Iconic Gambling TV Characters

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Gambling has always been part of our history. And not only this, it’s entered almost every sphere of human life: political betting, earning money while playing, finding your true love on the poker table, and watching your favorite TV show with… gamblers!

Marge Simpson

For many Simpsons lovers, the best mom ever is undoubtedly Marge Simpson herself. Her caring attitude, along with her constant words of wisdom, make her the perfect foil to complement the crazy antics of her silly husband, Homer. With her well-known blue hairstyle and characteristic chuckle, this woman is definitely the matriarch of the household.

However, not many people know that this perfect lady is a real gambler. In the episode $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling), Montgomery Burns builds a ‘Mr. Burns’ Casino,’ where Homer successfully gets a job as a blackjack dealer. Marge shows up at the casino while Homer is doing his blackjack duties, so she has to wait until his shift is over. During this time, Marge finds a quarter on the floor and decides to try a slot machine. You don’t have to be a psychic to guess what happens next — she becomes a real slot jockey, completely addicted to her new hobby!

Although Marge is winning a lot of money, her addiction actually becomes so serious that she ends up neglecting her family responsibilities and spending every possible minute she can at the casino; one night, she doesn’t even return home. But as a supportive husband, Homer discusses this problem with Marge; and she eventually makes him a promise to stop heading back to the casino.

Of course, even a perfect mom can be dragged into a toxic gambling addiction. So whenever you play, always remember to play responsibly and only for fun! Oh and by the way, don’t bring kids with you if you’re under 21; so of course, Maggie wasn’t supposed to stay with Marge at the casino. Not a good idea!

The Legen… Dary Barney Stinson

Barney is the most iconic character from the CBS show, ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ With his bro code and patented high five, it wasn’t long before he became loved by millions. Barney really does enjoy all the finer things in life: like women, suits, scotch, and gambling!

Barney Stinson is 100% a betting person — as soon as he hears “No one can do this,” he easily takes it as a challenge, announcing “Challenge accepted!” His severe first gambling addiction appears when Marshall bets with him on Super Bowl in an episode of Monday Night Football. Barney frequently makes bets for exorbitant sums of money, which (spoiler!) he goes on to lose at the very end of the episode.

In the Atlantic City episode, we can see that Barney once blew his live savings on Xing Hai Shi Bu Xing game (translated as Deal or No Deal?); this is a super complicated casino game, where you have to speak Mandarin Chinese to actually understand the rules.

Barney Stinson even has his own guide to gambling. We are not sure it’s a particularly good or effective strategy to help you break the bank, but all these amazing quotes like “ATM is the easiest money in the house. Bet on ‘checking account!’” are truly iconic!

Charming Seeley Booth

This charismatic federal agent is a well-known character in the TV show, ‘Bones.’ And this is all because of the truly humane side he displays over the course of his crime-solving activities. Seeley’s strong sense of moral duty and athleticism have made him a true ace at investigating serious crimes. At the end of the first season of the show, we find out that Booth is struggling to recover from a gambling addiction; he even goes to Gamblers Anonymous meetings!

This addiction appeared after his army service, as a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. He was a US Army sniper and served in several wars, including Kosovo. Booth decides to quit his addiction when he misses his son’s birthday, assuming he’s going to be able to have a good game instead.

In one episode, the high roller is killed, Booth goes undercover in a poker game, risking to relapse with his gambling addiction. However, he succumbs to the pressure of playing this high stakes game and of being undercover; and so he ends up breaking his abstinence from gambling and placing a bet.

It’s All About Fun… and Self-Control!

Many characters on TV shows are gambling addicts — and this is actually good for every player, because then they can observe what kind of an impact toxic gaming may have on their lives; not to mention the havoc it can wreak upon their wallet. All these characters like funny Barney, FBI agents like Booth, or regular housewives like Marge are there to help us to understand the temptations that lie in wait for us, and the long hard struggle of quitting gambling when you’ve already got hooked on this pastime. So what every player should do is to realize that playing brick-and-mortar games, well as their online casino versions, needs some self-control; it should only be about fun!

What Else?

• What are the most popular TV show episodes featuring gambling, apart from the ones mentioned above?

There are various movies as well as TV shows showing gamblers. However, if you’re keen on watching a particular episode of a show about games, here you go:

• Friends — The One on the Last Night
• The Office — Safety Training
• Black Books — A Little Flutter

• Can I gamble on TV shows?

Well… The old era, with its lack of choices, is well and truly over now! And here’s a really fascinating fact for you: online bookmakers accept bets on literally every television program or event you could ever imagine! So, the answer is yes — you can place a bet on who’s going to die in the next episode of your favorite TV show, or which of the main characters are going to fall in love — literally anything.

• What is the most popular TV show bet?

Now the TV show Game of Thrones is over, but at the time, it was among the most popular TV shows on which you could actually place a bet. It was possible to put a stake on who will rule Westeros, who will die first in the next season, or who’s going to kill the main character.

• Are there any anime about gambling?

Those of you who have a great love for Japanese computer animation and casino games are sure to love the perfect combination of both in mangas about gambling And there are six of these that are very much worth mentioning here:

• Kakegurui — Compulsive Gambler
• Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor
• Akagi
• Rio: Rainbow Gate!
• Legendary Gambler Tetsuya
• One Outs