The Lady Gambles (1949)

The film begins with Robert Preston explaining to a doctor the circumstances that led his estranged wife Barbara Stanwyck to being found severely beaten and winding in the hospital. Finding herself bored during her husband’s reporting assignments at the Hoover Dam, she is introduced to the Las Vegas betting tables. The thrill she finds at the casino takes a hold on her as great as any addiction. The ending is a bit simplistic, but Stanwyck brings her A game to the role, believably portraying the downward spiral of the addiction from ‘borrowing’ money from her husband’s expense account to pairing with shady characters who won’t stand to being double-crossed.