High stakes. Ep. 2. Easy money [Widescreen]

This is a three-part program on all aspects of gambling, both legal and illegal and how gambling has transformed in the last 50 years from an activity that society regarded as illegal and immoral into something that is respectable, accessible and very big business. Modern gambling relies on the gambler’s willingness to take a chance. Ep. 2. Easy money: During the 1960s and 1970s casinos thrived in London, and none more so than the famous Playboy Club (1965-81) with its “bunny” girls. The many casinos attracted a second wave of high rollers from the oil rich Middle East and eventually a casino war broke out between Playboy and Ladbrokes over the custom of these wealthy Arab high rollers. Dirty tricks were played by both sides ending in both clubs losing their licenses. Meanwhile in Las Vegas (1966), the eccentric Howard Hughes through first purchasing the Desert Inn Hotel and then several other major hotels including The Sands and The Silver Slipper, opens the door for corporations to own and invest in the gambling city finally bringing an end to mafia control. By the early 1970s slot machines (pokies) took over from the table games in revenue and it is these very slot machines which built today’s Vegas. The mafia’s final death throe in Vegas is presented from all points of view - members of the Mob, the casino managers and the law-enforcers and includes scenes from the film “Casino” starring Robert De Niro, which dramatises the real-life story of the Chicago Mob’s inevitable downfall. Enter Wall Street and the world of corporations - and enter too the 80s and 90s and the world of slot machines - easy money! Features personal narratives and commentary from a wide array of gamblers, ex-gamblers, and those who work or are involved in the industry. Also contains archival footage with some scenes in b&w. Presented by John Inverdale. For more information see “www.bbc.co.uk/highstakes”