Daniel Craig’s first outing as 007 is one of the best James Bond films to date.

Casino Royale ending explained: All about the mysterious Mr. White — and that final betrayal

Daniel Craig's first outing as 007 is one of the best James Bond films to date.

By Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at **. His work has previously appeared on *The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer*, and many other publications.

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January 27, 2026 6:00 p.m. ET

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Daniel Craig and Mads Mikkelson play a high-stakes game of poker in 'Casino Royale'. Credit:

Sony Pictures/courtesy Everett

- Daniel Craig made his debut as 007 in 2006's *Casino Royale*.

- Mads Mikkelsen costars as Le Chiffre, a corrupt banker who serves as Bond's portal to a much larger criminal conspiracy.

- *Casino Royale*, along with the rest of the Bond franchise, is now streaming on Netflix.

*Casino Royale* introduced James Bond fans to a darker, more cutthroat 007 played by Daniel Craig. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed English actor was a controversial choice at the time, but his rugged, hard-knuckled take on the suave spy quickly won over audiences.

Martin Campbell's 2006 movie raked in more than $600 million worldwide, and Craig went on to star in four more Bond films before leaving the character behind in 2021's *No Time to Die*.

With the Bond franchise now streaming on Netflix, many are revisiting or discovering *Casino Royale, *a tangled tale involving Ugandan militants, underground banks, competing intelligence agencies, and double agents.

*Hannibal*'s Mads Mikkelsen costars as Le Chiffre, a corrupt banker who links up with Steven Obanno (Isaach de Bankolé), a Joseph Kony-like commander of the Lord's Resistance Army looking for someone to manage $100 million of the organization's cash. It isn't long before Bond's own mission for MI6 intersects with Le Chiffre's plans for the money, sending the pair on a crash course.

Below, we break down the ending of *Casino Royale, *from the mysterious Mr. White's role to that climactic double cross.**

How does Le Chiffre lose Obanno’s money?

Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre in 'Casino Royale'. Everett Collection

Le Chiffre plans to profit by using Obanno's money to short the stock of a company called Skyfleet, an aerospace manufacturer. He's confident in the short, as he knows Skyfleet will soon be struck in a terrorist attack. Bond, however, throws a wrench in the machinery by killing the terrorists planning the attack. As a result, Le Chiffre loses the money, invoking the ire of Obanno, someone you wouldn't want to cross.

Enter: the Casino Royale in Montenegro. It's there that Le Chiffre organizes a poker tournament to try and earn back the lost money. MI6, hoping a desperate Le Chiffre will spill on his dangerous clientele, tasks Bond with infiltrating the tournament and winning the prize himself. He's joined by a French secret service agent, René Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini), and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a liason of the British Treasury overseeing the $10 million Bond needs to join the game.

Who wins the poker tournament?

Daniel Craig as James Bond in 'Casino Royale'.

Bond eventually wins, but not before losing the Treasury's $10 million in an early round.

While Vesper refuses to loan him $5 million so he can buy back in, he's saved by Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), a CIA agent who demands that Le Chiffre be delivered to Langley, not MI6, in exchange for the money.

With the $5 million secured by Felix (and a promise that the winnings can still be returned to the Treasury), Bond reenters the tournament and wins the final round, infuriating Le Chiffre. (In 2023, Mikkelsen hilariously revealed that Craig "sucked" at poker. "And it was the worst thing ever that he, of all people, had to beat [my character] and win all my money.")**

'Casino Royale' stunt coordinator breaks down that unforgettable opening chase

Every James Bond movie ranked, from 'Dr. No' to 'No Time to Die'

Le Chiffre and his goons kidnap Vesper, and manage to apprehend Bond after he pursues them. He takes them to an abandoned barge, where he tortures Bond with a length of thick, heavy rope. All he wants is the password to the account where the money is being held, but Bond doesn't break, going so far as to ask for more punishment.

Just as he's about to up the ante by castrating Bond, a mysterious figure enters with a drawn gun. Fear fills Le Chiffre's eyes, and we recognize the intruder as Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), whom we saw in the movie's opening scenes introducing Le Chiffre and Obanno.

"I'll get the money," Le Chiffre says. "Tell them I'll get the money."

"Money isn't as valuable to our organization as knowing who to trust," replies Mr. White before fatally shooting Le Chiffre.

Who is Mr. White?

Mr. White is a mysterious figure who works for an unnamed organization. While the subsequent films in Craig's Bond arc reveal more about White and his employer, he remains an enigmatic presence in *Casino Royale*. His role, however, does point towardas

So, why did Mr. White shoot Le Chiffre? Because, as Mr. White notes before pulling the trigger, Le Chiffre can't be trusted. Not only did he lose the money entrusted to him, but he expressed a willingness to talk to intelligence agencies about his business dealings, which would implicate Mr. White and his cohorts.

But it turns out that Mr. White is even more tangled up in this story.

What happens to Vesper?

Eva Green as Vesper and Daniel Craig as James Bond in 'Casino Royale'.

Sony Pictures/courtesy Everett

After being rescued, Bond and Vesper fall for each other so intensely that Bond sends his resignation to MI6. They travel to Venice on a pseudo-honeymoon, mooning over each other.

That changes, however, when Bond gets a call from MI6 head M (Judi Dench), who informs him that the tournament winnings have yet to deposited with the Treasury. That's news to Bond, who quickly realizes that the money has been stolen by Vesper.

He catches her handing off the money to Adolph Gettler (Richard Sammel) and his goons, leading to a firefight in a crumbling Venetian building off the canal. The building is being buoyed by floatation devices that Bond shoots, causing it to begin sinking. While Bond is able to subdue the baddies, the briefcase containing the money is lost and Vesper is trapped in an elevator cage.

Bond tries to save her, but she locks the door herself, feeling as if she's earned this fate. "I'm sorry, James," she says. The elevator then collapses into the canal, and Bond dives in after it to save her.

Though he's able to wedge open the door and bring her to the surface, it's too late. She dies in his arms as we see Mr. White, observing from a distance, with the briefcase in hand.

Why does Vesper betray Bond?

Eva Green as Vesper in 'Casino Royale'.

Sony Pictures/courtesy Everett

On a call with M, Bond learns that Vesper was being blackmailed by the organization behind Le Chiffre, the same one represented by Mr. White. As M explains, they kidnapped her boyfriend, threatening to kill him if she didn't do as they said.

Bond, burned by her betrayal, is unmoved. "The bitch is dead," he says, revealing that he plans to return to MI6 immediately.

But M is more generous to Vesper. She brings up how Mr. White left him and Vesper alive, positing that Vesper made a deal to spare Bond's life in exchange for the money. Nevertheless, she laments that "now we'll never know who's behind this."

She spoke too soon. Vesper left behind her cell phone for Bond, and on it is a phone number for Mr. White.**

What happens at the end of Casino Royale?

Jesper Christensen as Mr. White in 'Casino Royale'.

*Casino Royale* ends with Bond paying a visit to Mr. White's lavish estate. There, he puts a bullet in the power broker's leg.

"The name's Bond," he says, lording over the writhing man. "James Bond."

This, one can surmise, is the first step towards uncovering the truth (or as close as you can get to it) about Mr. White's mysterious organization. Eager for answers? *Quantum of Solace*, the second film in Craig's run of Bond films, has a few.**

Where can I watch Casino Royale?

*Casino Royale* is currently available to stream on Netflix.

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