Owning Mahowny is a 2003 Canadian film about gambling addiction with a cast that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin and John Hurt. Based on the true story of a Toronto bank employee who embezzled more than $10 million to feed his gambling habit, Owning Mahowny was named one of the ten best films of the year by critic Roger Ebert. Plot Between 1980 and 1982, Toronto bank employee Dan Mahowny is given access to bigger and bigger accounts with his promotion to assistant branch manager. His boss trusts him, but is unaware that Mahowny is a compulsive gambler. Mahowny is soon skimming larger and larger amounts for his own use and making weekly trips to Atlantic City, where he is treated like a king by the casino manager. Mahowny's girlfriend, fellow bank employee Belinda, cannot understand what is happening. Mahowny's criminal acts come to light when Toronto police begin to investigate his longtime bookie Frank. Cast Philip Seymour Hoffman as Dan Mahowny Minnie Driver as Belinda Maury Chaykin as Frank Perlin John Hurt as Victor Foss Sonja Smits as Dana Selkirk Ian Tracey as Detective Ben Lock Jason Blicker as Dave Quinson Chris Collins as Bernie Matthew Ferguson as Martin Janine Theriault as Maggie Conrad Dunn as Edgar Mike "Nug" Nahrgang as Parking Attendant Philip Craig as Briggs Tony Munch as Observer #2 M. J. Kang as Secretary Production Background Owning Mahowny is based on a real-life incident: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce clerk Brian Molony embezzled over $10 million from his employers in just 18 months to support his gambling habit. Molony's story was told in the best-selling 1987 book Stung by journalist Gary Ross, which formed the basis for the screenplay. In an interview on the web site of Stung publishers McClelland and Stewart, Ross says he has kept in touch with Molony and updated what happened to him after the events portrayed in the movie. Molony was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud, eventually serving only two years of his sentence. He has not gambled since his arrest, has married his girlfriend, has three sons and works as a financial consultant. Molony was a manager at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, with access to significant resources. Upon the discovery of his gambling addiction and his crime, he was prosecuted in Canada by Crown Attorney Peter DeJulio. Molony was