The Star Wars franchise has always had a tight relationship with gambling and through its many films, television shows, comics and games, we’ve seen the universe expand. Through this, we’ve discovered its many casinos and gambling activities. But what is gambling like in the Star Wars universe? Let’s take a look.
Casinos
Canto Bright is a well-known city in the Star Wars universe. Located on the planet Cantonica, the capital city is a tourist and gambling destination much like Las Vegas and is home to numerous casinos. One of the most famous casinos in Canto Bright is Canto Casino, a huge venue which features a luxury hotel, over twenty restaurants as well as several game and cabaret rooms.
The Canto Bright Casino was depicted in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi in which Rose Tico and Finn travel to the casino in search of the Master Codebreaker. As they passed through Canto Bright Casino, Rose and Finn witnessed numerous games being played by wealthy alien individuals.
However, Canto Bright Casino isn’t the only casino that has been depicted in the Star Wars universe. Throughout the films, comics, television shows and games, we’ve seen casinos such as Aerie Casino on Naboo, Balance Casino on Reaper’s World, Club Vertica Casino on Nar Shaddaa, the Coruscant Hotel and Casino in Canto Bright, the Crimson Casino on The Wheel and many more.
Racing
Canto Bright Casino also hosts fathier races, a hugely popular sport among the wealthy on Cantonica. Other animal and alien races that are popular across the galaxy include Blob Races where alien Umgullian blobs race over and through obstacles, and Odupiendo Races in which Odupiendo flightless birds race across a circular track.
Characters in the Star Wars universe also enjoy wagering on Podraces, a sport in which users race podracers, spacecraft that can reach speeds of over 700 kilometers an hour. A popular but dangerous sport throughout the galaxy. An example of Podrace wagering is seen in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace where Qui-Gon Jinn bets that Anakin Skywalker would win the Boonta Eve Classic race on Tatooine, leading to the child’s freedom from enslavement. Another notable Podracing track was located on the planet Ankhural, though it’s now been abandoned.
Other popular forms of racing in the Star Wars universe include Sun Jammer racing where users race solar wind-driven vehicles at events such as the Ursellin Sun Jammer Race, Sling Racing in which participants race lightweight airspeeders through treacherous mountains and canyons, and Swoop Racing where users race vehicles across a circuit. Swoop Racing is generally believed to be much safer than Podracing as tracks are simpler.
Popular Games
Throughout the Star Wars universe, we’ve been shown two popular forms of gambling activities. The most well-known is Sabacc, a popular card game played at high stakes in which the goal is to collect a hand that creates the closest value to the number 23 but without passing it. The game is similar to Blackjack, a game which tends to have the highest Return to Player (RTP), the rate at which money is returned to the player, among casino games.
Played with between two to eight players, Sabacc is known as a game of skill and chance. The game is hugely popular across the galaxy and in one famous game of Corellian Spike Sabacc (A popular variation), smuggler Han Solo won the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian.
Another popular game in the Star Wars galaxy is Lugjack, a game of chance. Lugjacks are credit-operated devices that feature three or more reels similar to slot machines. Users are required to pull a lever on the machine and receive payouts when clusters of matching symbols appear on the front of the screen. Other popular games in the galaxy include Denebian holo-chess, Compmatch, Imperial Commander, Jubilee Wheel and many more.
As the Star Wars universe continues to expand with its upcoming films, video games and comic books, it’s expected that we’ll discover even more about gambling in the galaxy, and we can’t wait to see what other games people in the Star Wars universe participate in.