Reel Lives: Gina Fiore On Gambling, Writing, Starring In A Documentary, And Explaining Her Job To Her Son
The longtime advantage player keeps branching out into more and more forms of media
5 min
Every gambler has a story to tell. And so does every person who chooses to make a living in this unique industry.
In our “Reel Lives” series, Casino Reports shines a spotlight on people working in the gaming business, from executives, to analysts, to media members and communications pros, and all points in between.
The subject in this interview: Gina Fiore, a professional gambler, a mom, an author, an Unabated contributor, a documentary star, and now, a calendar maker.
Casino Reports (CR): You’re branching out. A desk calendar! Plus you have a pair of books coming — a novella and a memoir. What’s provoked you down this path?
Gina Fiore (GF): I did the 365 Days of Gambling calendar because I thought it would be something fun that I could actually finish and put into the world this year. It was so much harder than I anticipated. Finding 365 facts, trivia, interesting historical dates, movie mishaps, and strategy tips about gambling was insanely difficult. I didn’t want to just mail it in and put generic, boring stuff. But I failed to educate myself on Amazon selling, and that cost me in the end. It wasn’t monetarily worth my time investment, but it came out really well and it’s nice to have finished a project and put it out into the world.
Everything else I’m doing creatively is a slow process. A traditional publisher bought my memoir, and their timeline is a year minimum. I’ve wanted to write a novella about a casino heist for a long time and because I know the memoir won’t be out for a while I thought I’d finish that now. It’ll be done in a month. That’s not going to be a big moneymaker either, but I like writing, so there’s that.
Overall, though, I’m branching out because I want to do something other than gamble for a living. I’d like a new environment, a new schedule, and new people in my life.
CR: What’s your writing regimen?
GF: I wish I had one. I write whenever I can fit it in — after my son (who is 9 years old) goes to sleep or while I’m in the waiting room at his gymnastics practice. I’d like to make it a priority, but there’s always something else taking my attention. This goes back to the previous question. My goal is to make more money creating than gambling, but I’ve still got to make a living in the meantime. Am I going to get up at 4 a.m. to bet tennis or am I going to get sleep so I can wake up in the morning and be creative? One’s EV resolves now and the other later, if at all.
CR: Tell us about the experience of being the focus of the documentary short Miss Brown.
GF: It was a great time. The writer and director Christina Burchard was amazing, and I was able to consult on the script and be there when they were filming to ensure the casino scenes were genuine. I’ve been asked to be a part of documentaries before, but it’s usually, “Let’s put you in front of a green screen and ask you about your biggest win.” I don’t find that interesting. Miss Brown wasn’t that. And most of the time documentary makers reach out to me specifically because they want to include a female gambler in their project. If you want me in your show only because I’m a successful female gambler, don’t ask me. Save your time. I’ve made a living gambling for 22 years. Do you know how hard that is? How many people have done that? It’s not a big number.
Miss Brown was great because [my gender is] never mentioned. Obviously I’m female, and it can be inspiring for sure, but it doesn’t always need to be the focus. The story was a snippet of my career — specifically running a team and being backroomed. It was part of a series for Meadowlark Media called Sports Explains the World. I hope the series finds a home. I saw a couple of the other episodes. They were really well done.
CR: Let’s keep the movie talk going: Your story seems ripe for a biopic, or, at least, a semi-fictionalized version. Is it a comedy? A drama? Who’s playing you?
GF: I’ve been working on a one-hour television drama. There’s an actress and writer attached, but I’m not going to call them out before anything is sold. It’s been a slow process. The actress was filming something else that took a while, then there was a writer’s strike. The summer months and end of year aren’t good times to shop a show. The pilot is written, the first season is mapped, and we are going out to shop the show in January.
CR: Can casinos still be “beaten”? Basically, is it tougher these days to be an advantage player (in person)? Or has the advent of online, sweepstakes sites, and everything in between actually made it easier?
GF: There’s always a game. I don’t play blackjack anymore. There’s only so much time in the day. Most of what I’m doing is online.
CR: Your child is getting to — if not already at — an age where there may be questions or explanations forthcoming about how Mommy makes a few bucks. What’s the plan there?
GF: He knows that “Mama gambles” for a living. He knows when I have sportbooks on the screen and I’ve told him that he can never play slot machines unless he knows how to win. The games in arcades are mini versions of slot machines, so I’m preparing him now.
CR: You’ve had money confiscated, had a case before the Supreme Court, lost money on a Rhianna dress prop, and god knows what else … through it all, when you’re lying in bed at 3 a.m. or sitting on a beach in French Polynesia, what gambling memory — good or bad, or both — seems to always creep up?
GF: I don’t reminisce much. Usually I’m exhausted and trying to come up with ways to make more money doing less.
Reel fast!
What actual job do you think you might have enjoyed doing in lieu of being a pro gambler?
Writer, actress, or something in the business of philanthropy.
Blue jeans or black jeans?
Blue.
Favorite city, and why?
New York — it feels like home.
Is there a gambling or gambling-related movie you particularly enjoy watching time and again?
The “Casino Night” episode from The Office.
Would 15-year-old Gina even recognize today’s Gina?
No.
Can you ever turn off your brain and not be advantage hunting, or is that a bug in the system?
It’s a feature. I wish it would stop.
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You can find Gina on Twitter/X @rxgamble or keep up with her latest projects at her website.
Previous installments of Reel Lives:
BetMGM’s Sarah Brennan On Compliance, Working In Politics, And Coping With Tragedy
