Bet (TV series)
Bet is a 2025 English-language Canadian teen drama psychological thriller television series for Netflix. The series is a loose adaptation of the Japanese manga Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler by Homura Kawamoto and Tōru Naomura. It premiered on May 15, 2025, with all ten episodes of the first season released simultaneously. Developed by Simon Barry, the show stars Miku Martineau as Yumeko, a transfer student at an elite boarding school governed by high-stakes gambling. In June 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.
Premise
The series follows Yumeko, a skilled gambler who challenges the established hierarchy and the school's power structure at St. Dominic's Prep, an exclusive private boarding school where underground gambling dictates the social order. The students with the Top 10 gains from gambling are a part of the Student Council, and those who remain in the spots at the end of term get to go to a retreat with the board of school governors, who are mostly the parents of those consistently in the Council. The bottom of the ranking and those in debt become 'House Pets,' and are forced to do menial or humiliating tasks for students to whom they are indebted. Yumeko, with the help of students Mary, Ryan and Michael, is motivated to get into this ranking to figure out which of the governors killed her parents, after discovering that all were in the 'Kakegurui Club.'Cast and characters
Main
- Miku Martineau as Yumeko Kawamoto
- Ayo Solanke as Ryan Adebayo
- Eve Edwards as Mary Davis.
- Clara Alexandrova as Kira Timurov.
- Hunter Cardinal as Michael.
- Anwen O'Driscoll as Riri Timurov
- Aviva Mongillo as Dori Ahlstrom.
- Ryan Sutherland as Suki Hennessey.
- Dorian Giordano as Chad White.
- Laura Afelskie as Runa Von Ludwig.
- Emma Elle Patterson as Blake Samuels.
Recurring
- Jay Yoo as Jo Jabami, Yumeko's father and an ex-member of the Kakegurui Club.
- Emily Shelton as Keiko Jabami, Yumeko's mother and an ex-member of the Kakegurui Club.
- Christine Okuda Hara as Mrs. Kawamoto, Yumeko's guardian and mentor after her parents are killed.
- Rami Khan as Rex, Suki's House Pet and assistant.
- James Burke as Raymond Rowe, Blake's stepfather and the man Yumeko initially believes to have killed her parents.
- Alex Hook as Becky
- Piyal Sarker as Kylie
- Noam Jenkins as Gabriel Adams, Michael's father, an ex-member of the Kakegurui club and a School Governor.
- Krista Bridges as Katrina Timurov, Kira's mother.
- Peter Outerbridge as Arkadi Timurov, Kira and Riri's father, the head of the School Board, and an ex-member of the Kakegurui club.
Guest
- Seth Rollins as himself, and Runa's hired muscle to take back unpaid debts.
Production
The series was announced in May 2024 when Netflix commissioned an English-language adaptation of the Japanese manga Kakegurui, with Simon Barry serving as showrunner and Boat Rocker Studios serving as a production company. Filming took place in Toronto, Canada. Barry stated that the creative team aimed to capture the spirit of the original manga while crafting a unique narrative suited for a Western audience. In June 2025, Netflix renewed the series for a second season.Reception
Bet received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Some praised the series for its stylized visuals and performances, particularly Martineau's portrayal of Yumeko. However, others criticized it for deviating from the source material and lacking depth in storytelling. Variety criticizes Bet for its "many missteps" and calls this adaptation as "wholly unnecessary" since there are already the Japanese live-action adaptation on Netflix and two live-action films as well.The series also faced backlash pre-release for its casting choices, with some fans accusing it of "Asian erasure" due to the predominantly non-Asian cast and the change in setting from the original Japan, a common criticism of Western adaptations of Asian media. In particular, this includes those made by the show's streaming service Netflix, such as the film adaptation of another anime, Death Note. The official trailer of Bet season 1 on YouTube garners over 100,000 dislikes.