Plot hole: It is never explained to the audience how Ben could fix the "incomplete" essay which would prevent him from graduating at MIT and being eligible for Harvard Med. In fact, Prof. Rosa, who was both the one who provided the initial cheating vote to the non-existent essay and then stripped it away after fighting with Ben, states that he will remedy the essay's deal only if the last trip to Vegas results in sufficient money. Then, Prof. Rosa gets kidnapped by the security guys and is never seen again.
21 (2008)
1 mistake since 28 Dec '25, 13:51
Directed by: Robert Luketic
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Jim Sturgess, Aaron Yoo
Kianna: Everybody knows to split eights. My grandmother splits eights.
More trivia for 21
Question: I was under the impression, although I may be wrong, that winnings in Vegas are taxed over a certain amount, and that this is done in the casino when cashing out. At the end of the film, Lawrence Fishburn says that the IRS will be wanting to speak to Kevin Spacey, but how were they able to cash out the amounts they won whilst using fake id's? It doesn't mention it in the book either - I know for the purposes of the film this is soemthing they can gloss over, but I was wondering if it would be possible to win the amounts they are talking about and simply walk out with the cash? I know in one part they cash it in in smaller amounts, but surely the casino would be aware of a huge win on one of the tables, and would be expecting a big cash out?
Answer: Gambling winnings are taxable, but using fake IDs was one way of getting around the IRS. It was also mentioned in the book that the team would keep chips until their next Vegas trip to avoid cashing out. They would also exchange money with each other so everyone would come under the $10K limit before the casino had to file a Currency Transaction Report. Also, there is no reason not to assume they would place some of their winnings as "credit" for their next visit.