4 Reasons Why the Uncut Gems Sports Betting Scenes Are Complete Nonsense
When it comes to depicting reality in movies, Hollywood has a patchy record at best. From gravity and death-defying stunts to any scene involving computers and hackers, there are plenty of examples where the moviemakers take “creative liberties.”
We get it – movies can take some liberties since it all hinges on the audience’s suspension of disbelief. But when you take it too far, especially in “gritty” movies that try to stay close to realism, it actually sticks out like a sore thumb.
Gambling is an activity that has received its fair share of screen time, and not all of it is realistic. Hustler, Casino Royale, and The Color of Money are some of the movies that hit the bull’s eye when it comes to delivering an accurate portrayal of gambling, be it in a casino or a pool club.
Unfortunately, sports betting does not get the same respectful treatment in the recently released Netflix movie – Uncut Gems. While competently crafted in every other aspect, the movie falls flat on its face when depicting the betting scenes. This is sad since it is widely considered a great flick and an amazing return to form by Adam Sandler.
The link between betting and Uncut Gems
This section is for all those folks who have not yet seen or heard about the movie on Netflix. So, we cannot explain things too much in detail for fear of spoilers. But we can give you a basic intro to the movie and the protagonist played by Adam Sandler.
Uncut Gems is the second movie by the New York-based Safdie brothers, who earlier shot to fame in 2017 for Good Time, their first effort, starring Robert Pattinson. In their second movie, they try to depict the dramatic hours in the life of a shady gems dealer in New York.
Howard Ratner, played by Adam Sandler, has his own shop dealing in precious gems. But he is also a compulsive gambler, both in his profession as well as on the side with bookies. The crime thriller shows how Ratner tries to cope when some of his risky bets fall flat.
Sports betting, specifically based on wagers in the NBA, plays a key role in the movie. We all know how some star athletes love the bling, which brings none other than Kevin Garnett to Ratner’s shop. The real KG does indeed make a great cameo in this movie.
The infamous sports betting scenes in the movie
There are several blunder-filled scenes in Uncut Gems involving sports betting, wagers, and bookies. It all starts with a scene where Ratner meets up with his regular bookie in a restaurant to place a really high-stakes wager after meeting up with Kevin Garnett.
For starters, the whole thing is a very complicated six-leg parlay. No bookie out there would seriously consider such an absurd offer, whether online, at a branded shop or a shady underground club. There are several reasons for this-
- The bet starts with a parlay on player props, that too on the tip-off. Nobody takes bets on that market.
- All the legs of the parlay are related to the same game – another big no-no for bookies willing to accept wagers on parlays.
The really frustrating thing about this scene is that it could have been simply avoided. If Ratner wanted to make a huge wager and knew inside info from Kevin Garnett himself, why no show a far simpler wager on that Celtics game? They needlessly overcomplicated the wager for dramatic effect.
They ignored the laws governing sports betting
The producers spent millions of dollars on this movie but seemed to have done no basic research on a key aspect of the story. Granted, there are a lot of illegal sports betting happening all over the world, even more so in the US. But there are laws governing the activity, especially in legit establishments like casinos.
This point tends to rankle the most yet again in another key scene in the movie, this time involving Ratner’s girlfriend. Again, the wager involved is another ridiculous multi-leg parley, but let’s ignore that one for now. The scene is set in a casino in Connecticut, and the movie is set in 2012. The minor flaw here is that in that year, there were no legalized sports wagering in Connecticut.
But as we said, it is a minor thing that can be forgiven. But what cannot be overlooked is the size and nature of the bet. The girl brings a huge bag of cash ($150K+) to a casino to make a single wager. And the best (or the worst) part is that they accept it and pay the winnings – no questions asked. Here are the reasons why this cannot happen in real life –
- Most parlays at casinos and other legit gambling sites are often capped at a few thousand dollars, and certainly well below the 100,000-mark.
- Depositing or withdrawing high amounts at casinos requires paperwork and IDs – the IRS requires US-based casinos to report any cash transaction involving more than $10,000.
The girl could not have walked away with a pile of cash won from a casino, not without providing IDs and a ton of paperwork! Movies like these are bad not because they irritate folks who do know a thing or two about gambling. They are bad in the sense that people who know nothing about betting and gambling can get wrong ideas and tips.
If you are beginner, here is an important take-away for you – never base your strategy on what you see in the movies, make sure to visit a proper site with detailed guides to online casinos and no deposit bonus codes.
Uncut Gems is not a bad movie, save for those overt gambling mistakes. If they had spent just a fraction of that budget to bring in a sports betting expert as a consultant, this would have been a “flawless gem.” As it stands, it is a riveting drama with an excellent turn by Adam Sandler. Just be prepared for the gaffes during those betting scenes!
