Could you imagine playing Gwent or betting on Podracing at a casino?
Today, there’s a huge number of slots and casino games you can play at a casino or a wide range of sports and other markets you can bet on at a sportsbook. That said, how many of these are inspired by fictional games played by characters in your favourite books, comics, video games, TV series or movies? I doubt you can name one.
Unlike my post on video games that I think would be great for slots themes, this list focuses on specific fictional games played by characters in books, movies, TV shows, or video games that I think would be fun as real-life casino entertainment.
*Note: Respectfully, please keep in mind that this post is all in good fun and is my opinion. My intention isn’t to offend anyone with my fictional game gambling suggestions or to entice minors to play. This post, like all content on Mia’s iGaming Journey, is meant for the eyes of individuals who are of a legal gambling age (in Ontario, that’s 19+).
Six Fictional Games I Think Would Make Fun Casino Games
Gwent
Where it’s from: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (video game)
What it is: Gwent is a turn-based, competitive card game played between two players. Each player has a hand of 10 cards, selected from a 25-card deck. Each deck belongs to one of six factions, each faction offering a different playing style. Players play one card each turn. Each card has the potential to have more than one special ability (e.g. spells). Ultimately, it’s a skill-based game with some bluffing and careful deck construction. Each game typically lasts 2 to 3 rounds, with the player who has the most points on the board winning a round. The player who wins two rounds wins the game.
Fun fact: Though created by CD PROJEKT RED for their video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a dwarven card game called “Barrel” also exists in the Witcher book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, on which the Witcher video games are loosely based. Interestingly, Gwent became so popular in the Witcher 3 that CD PROJEKT RED released a free-to-play stand-alone Gwent: The Witcher Card Game for those who just want to play Gwent.
How I think it could work as casino games: Due to the fact that it’s a two-player card game and it’s already in a video game format, it should be fairly simple to create a real money version (says me, who has absolutely zero clue as to how that sort of thing even works LOL!). It would also probably work best as an RNG game where you play against a computer opponent. So, something like video blackjack or video poker. Of course, this also means that it could be offered in a land-based casino as a video machine. It would be really cool, too, if you could somehow play against another player online, like in poker rooms. I suppose this would be an option as long as the casino can ensure fairness and prevent players from cheating.
Chocobo Racing
Where it’s from: Final Fantasy VII / FFVII (video game)
What it is: It is a race where chocobos, a breed of fictional flightless birds, race for victory. The yellow-feathered avian and domesticated creatures are both chicken- and ostrich-like in appearance and function somewhat like horses in the final fantasy game franchise, and are used as mounts, for pulling carts or for racing. Chocobo racing in Final Fantasy VII is a mini-game that can be accessed in the Gold Saucer and takes place on a fantastical racetrack. The player can bet on any of the chocobos racing. Different coloured chocobos have different attributes that can give them advantages during the race. Players can also capture chocobos in the wild and raise them in the chocobo farm. Feeding chocobos on the farm special greens and breeding race-winning birds together improves player stats, including speed, stamina and intelligence.
Fun fact: I was just a kid when Final Fantasy VII came out, but I loved watching my older sister play it. I remember the Gold Saucer very well, because she loved to play the mini games there, especially chocobo racing. Though chocobo racing was popularized in FFVII (1997), the character first appeared in Final Fantasy II (1988). The character’s design was reportedly inspired by the middle stage of the creator’s (Koichi Ishii), chick before it matured into a chicken and its name was inspired by the Chocolate Ball, a popular confection in Japan. It looks like chocobo racing will be included in the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth game, and I can’t wait to play it!
How I think it could work as casino games: Chocobo racing was made for gambling. I mean, come on, you actually bet on the race in the FFVII game! In the real world this would be fun to bet on in the same way fantasy sports are. It could also be a slot game. Different coloured chocobo could represent different bonus symbols (scatters) and landing 3 or more of the same colour could activate a mini-game where the coloured chocobo you triggered is the one that races in the game and has a certain special features (e.g. multipliers, sticky wilds, respins, etc.).
Sabacc
Where it’s from: Star Wars (TV/movie)
What it is: It is a gambling card game in the Star Wars universe that has numerous variations. Most of the variations include a hand called “Sabacc”, which is nearly impossible to beat. It is typically a high-stakes game, with the goal (of most versions) being to win the pot by having a hand with a total value closest to 23, but not higher (not unlike blackjack where the goal is to have a hand that totals no more than 21). A typical sabacc deck has 76 cards (60 distributed in four suits and 16 additional cards). All cards have a specific value.
Fun Fact: Although Sabacc wasn’t officially mentioned in any of the Star Wars movies before Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and wasn’t seen in a Star Wars TV series until an episode of Star Wars Rebels in 2015, the game has actually existed for decades in one form or another. Most importantly, it’s heavily associated with the character Lando Calrissian and is arguably most famous for being the game in which Hans Solo won the Millennium Falcon from Calrissian.
How I think it could work as casino games: Naturally, this would make a great casino card game as it already factiously exists as a gambling card game. It could be offered as a computer-based RNG format video Sabacc game, as a live casino game or in a land-based casino, just like blackjack or poker.
Podracing
Where it’s from: Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (movie)
What it is: A dangerous speeder racing sport in which repulsocrafts called “Podracers” – small one-person hover crafts propelled by large engines – completed multiple laps on a racetrack, moving at hazardous speeds, with the main objective being to win the race by crossing the finish line first. Bets were commonly placed on these races.
Fun fact: In the Star Wars universe, podracing is already a game heavily associated with gambling. In Star Wars: Episode One, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn makes a bet with Watto, wagering his podracer against Anakin Skywalker (Watto’s slave). His podracer wins (piloted by Anakin), resulting in Anakin’s freedom. The force-sensitive Anakin was one of the only humans capable of podracing, as the sport required racers to have extremely fast reaction times in order to compete.
How I think it could work as casino games: This would probably work best as a fantasy sport or a virtual race that can be bet on at a sportsbook. Then again, it might also be a nifty tournament-style slot game where you earn points the more you play (not the more you spend) and rank on a leaderboard.
Also, I want to mention that in my imaginary podracing gambling game scenario all podracers (humanoid and non-humanoid) are consenting adults. There are no slave or kid character podracers in this game.
Pai Sho
Where it’s from: Avatar: The Last Airbender(animated TV series)
What it is: It is a board game played between two players. The board is large and circular in shape. It is split in as many as 12 sections and divided into a grid of coloured squares (either 10×10 or up to 18×18 squares). The game pieces are round tiles, and each tile has a different image. Each player receives a certain number of tiles, which are placed and moved around the board. The goal of Pai Sho is to move tiles around the board to create “harmonies” or specific arrangements to earn points.
Fun fact: In addition to appearing in The Last Airbender, Pai Sho was also played in the spin-off series The Legend of Korra. Though the game was seen only briefly in the shows, dedicated fans of Avatar created a real-life version of Pai Sho that follows semi-official rules. Over the years, rules of the game have varied among cultures, with some versions being a fast-paced and thrill-driven game of chance, and others a methodical and slow game of strategy. Additionally, due to the game’s popularity, series creator, Nickelodeon, released a Pai Sho video game which is a strategy puzzle board game that is based on the game played by characters in the series, but doesn’t follow similar gameplay as the original board game.
How I think it could work as casino games: I think the fast-paced game of chance version would work best for casinos. It would make for a fun table game, especially in a land-based casino. Imagine walking into some prestigious casino in Vegas, Maccau or Monte Carole and sitting down at a Pai Sho table? I suppose it could also be offered as a video machine style like video blackjack or in an online Pai Sho room (like an online poker room) where you could play against another player online.
Quidditch
Where it’s from: Harry Potter (book series)
What it is: It’s a team sport played by witches and wizards in the Harry Potter universe. Two teams of seven players compete to obtain the most points. Each team has three Chasers, two Beaters, the Keeper, and the Seeker. All players ride broomsticks. The Chasers try to score goals with the Quaffle and the Keeper’s main job is to defend the goal. The Beaters bat the Bludgers away from their teammates and toward opponents, while the Seeker’s task is to locate and catch the Golden Snitch. Catching the snitch wins the Seeker’s team 150 points and ends the game. The team with the most points at the end wins.
Fun fact: A real-life team sport was created based on the fictional game of quidditch in 2005 in Vermont, USA. It is now officially known as Quadball. The game follows a similar objective as the fictional team sport, and players are even astride broomsticks (or a pole) when they play (quite the sight to behold). It is often referred to as “muggle quidditch” due to the game’s obvious lack of magical elements and is still played around the world to this day.
How I think it could work as casino games: I think quidditch could work as an RNG-based betting game like virtual sports betting (imagine virtual soccer) or even a fantasy football-style, where you bet on one of the teams to win, to lose, to tie, number of goals scored, which team/seeker will catch the snitch, etc.
Also, in my imaginary quidditch betting game, players would bet on one of the fictional professional quidditch teams like Ballycastle Bats, Pride of Portree, Wimbourne Wasps, etc. – not a Hogwarts team – because, seriously, just no to betting on any game played by minors, even fictious ones.
What fictional games do you think would make interesting/fun casino games?
While I’m fairly confident that none of the fictional games I mentioned above would ever be something that would be offered in a legitimate casino or sportsbook (online or land-based) – due to obvious reasons like the cost of obtaining the rights to offer these games and the fact that most would attract minors (a big no-no) – it’s still fun to imagine playing Gwent in a casino and betting on a podrace.
What about you? If you could choose any fictional game that you’d like to see offered as online casino games or at a sportsbook, what would it be?
Until next time, good luck and have fun.
Mia 👩💻
**All links and images in this post are for informational purposes only. I am not affiliated with anyone.
