Released in December last year, Star Wars: The Last Jedi got a reputation as one of the most controversial films from the Star Wars series. True, the movie featured most of our favourite characters and droids, but there was also something entirely new – the casino city of Canto Bight.
Essentially, the release of last year’s Star Wars movie strengthened the relationship between gambling and the Star Wars movie franchise, a relationship which has existed for quite some time.
How it all started
Whereas most fans did not like the latest installment of the iconic saga, critics did praise the movie, and especially Canto Bight. And not without a reason – the introduction of the gambling city provided the public with an invaluable insight into the gambling realm in Star Wars.
When the first Star Wars movie was released more than 40 years ago, the public was introduced to a dimly lit tavern, regularly visited by starship pilots. Fans already know the name of this location – it was the Mos Eisley cantina, of course.
What made the tavern remarkable, apart from the fact that we first met Han Solo there (and that the place had a gambling-like atmosphere), was that it provided an insight into the world of drinking and socialisation in Star Wars. You see, without Mos Eisley cantina and the atmosphere it yielded, directors would have probably refrained from introducing Canto Bight.
Canto Bight – an upscale Star Wars location
Located in Cantonica, Canto Bight was a gambling and tourist destination, which largely resembled the Monte Carlo gambling scene. Interestingly, we are not the only ones to associate Canto Bight with Monte Carlo – the very director of the movie has also described the Star Wars gaming area as a “Star Wars Monte Carlo”.
Inspired by Monte Carlo Casino and the James Bond movie franchise, Canto Bight is an upscale gambling location, officially described as a “place where opportunity and high stakes meet”. Simply put, this is a get-away for the rich, where they can escape the worries of the war and have some fun while gambling.
When asked why he decided to incorporate such a high-end gambling location into an environment predominated by sandy and desolate places, the director replied that he wanted to incorporate something new. And he really did create something new – never before had we seen the inside of a Star Wars casino.
Why Canto Bight was not introduced earlier
The Star Wars saga is generally a family-friendly film, and that is why casinos have never played an important role in a movie of the sequence. Nevertheless, a number of casino locations, including the Aerie Casino, Casino Kuari, etc., appear in the Star Wars series. Of course, the appearance of more than 10 different casinos throughout the series is not accidental – gambling is an important theme throughout the Star Wars franchise.
During the era of the Old Republic, casinos like Casino Kuari offered characters a chance to play a number of games, including Ratts Race, Pazaak, and many more. Things did not end with the Old Republic era, though – games like Compmatch and Tregald were incredibly common during the subsequent Imperial era.
Whereas these games did not resemble the casino games we know, they did show us how creatures gamble in Star Wars.
Star Wars gambling in real life
With so many gambling references throughout the Star Wars saga, the introduction of the first Star Wars gambling location in The Last Jedi came as no surprise. What came as a surprise, however, was the discontinuation of all Star Wars-themed real-life casino games from all online casinos reports www.casinoreports.ca/online-casinos.
As you probably know, leading iGaming software companies like IGT had released a number of slot machines for based on our beloved sci-fi saga. Games like Star Wars Droid Hunt, launched in early 2010, captured casino enthusiasts’ attention, and players often had to stand in line before trying their luck on a Star Wars slot machine. Naturally, as these games were incredibly popular, they were also incredibly profitable.
Everything changed in 2012, when Disney purchased all rights to Lucasfilm. Subsequently, in 2016, the company announced it will discontinue all casino games from the Star Wars movie franchise, as gambling is strictly against Disney’s policies.
Overall, gambling and Star Wars have always been closely related and even though we can no longer enjoy Star Wars slots in land-based casinos, we can certainly enjoy some gambling while watching The Last Jedi.
