Blackjack 'to grow in popularity'

2008-03-26 14:59:41

The release of a Sony Pictures film that explores the exploits of the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) blackjack team will result in more people playing the game, it has been claimed.

Entitled 21, the movie is based on the bestseller Bringing Down the House and the Las Vegas Sun believes there could be a repeat of the phenomenon seen in the early 1960s when a book entranced a new generation of gamblers.

Ed Thorp's Beat the Dealer, published in 1962, was so influential that some casinos were forced to change the rules of blackjack in order to give the house an extra advantage.

"Nevada casinos have probably lost money by turning away card counters," said Mr Thorp. "I'd make a sales tool out of it. I'd show that people can come to the casino and win."

The movie, which features Kevin Spacey, will be released at the end of March.