Celebrity Gamblers
If you believe that gambling is only a hobby for poor people who hope to get rich, you’re dead wrong. There are plenty of multi-millionaires who love to gamble with their hard-earned money in the hopes of getting even richer.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at some celebrity gamblers who are famous for risking it all and hitting the jackpot, as well as those who have lost it all in a game of chance.
Celebrity Gamblers’ Games of Choice
Although there is a huge variety of games that celebrity gamblers take part in, poker remains the game of choice, with a few people also preferring blackjack. However, whatever game they choose, they usually play for big bucks – celebrity bets typically tend to be over $10,000.
Celebrities may seem tough and mighty, but they aren’t invincible. Just because someone is famous doesn’t mean they can’t lose. The cold, hard truth is that some celebrities have racked up losses exceeding $60 million! And there are even some gamblers who lost it all. If you don’t have a smart strategy in place and play your cards right, you can lose big time.
Celebrities love gambling as much as the next person. However, there are some games that particularly attract the rich and famous.
These are the top five gambling games that A-list celebrities tend to go for:
Poker
Poker is the most popular gambling game in the world. It attracts not just professional celebrity gamblers, but also those who are just looking to have some fun. Some celebs love poker so much that they leave acting or sports for a career in professional gambling.
A few surprising examples of celebrities turned poker professionals include Shannon Elizabeth of American Pie and Jennifer Tilly. Both of these women have attended the World Series of Poker Championship. But it’s not just film stars who love to play. Even professional athletes like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps have been bitten by the poker bug.
Baccarat
Although baccarat may not be as popular as blackjack or poker, there are still plenty of celebrities who love the game. In fact, they love the game so much that it often leaves an indelible mark on their careers and personal lives.
One of the most famous people who loved to take her chances on a game of baccarat was soul singer Gladys Knight, who had no qualms about losing tens of thousands of dollars on a single night.
Another very famous person who loved baccarat was Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels. As you can see from his books, his love for baccarat leached into his work; Agent 007 is often featured playing the game in famous casinos around the world. While the film adaptations changed the game to poker, Casino Royale remains a testament to how much Fleming loved baccarat.
Roulette
Roulette is made trickier by the fact that the house edge in this game is larger than many others. However, it’s still very popular among celebrities as well as regular casino goers.
The wheel has attracted the likes of Harry Styles, who was once forcibly removed from a casino hall with his One Direction band members. At the time they were under 21. Not to be discouraged, the singer has continued to play the game since.
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-One, is a popular banking game among celebrities. The game is fervently enjoyed by many A-list celebrities and has been an inspiration for many Hollywood movies, including 21, starring Kevin Spacey.
This mathematical game has won the hearts of top famous actors like Ben Affleck, musicians like Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, and athletes like Charles Barkley.
Craps
A lot of celebrities also prefer dice games, particularly craps. This game of fortune is for those celebrities who love high-stakes gambling but also enjoy a quiet and relatively passive experience at the casino. Some celebrities who are addicted to craps include Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan. In fact, it seems most celebrities who turn to the dice happen to be basketball players.
Slot Games
The slots are also a pretty popular Hollywood gambling outlet. These games run more on luck than on mathematics, and the thrill of hitting the jackpot has compelled many actors and athletes to spin the reels. Slot games offer the kind of entertainment that doesn’t require too much brainwork. And if you win, you get a pretty high payout.
Actress Pamela Anderson is one of the biggest gamblers in Vegas casinos and is one of the very few people who has had the opportunity of playing on a machine that has their own face on it.
Horse Racing Betting
When you think about horse racing, it’s likely that big hats, colorful dresses, flying dirt, and screaming crowds come to mind. Although all of these things are part and parcel of the sport, there’s another industry that remains inseparable from the races: betting.
It’s no secret that celebrities are regular attendees at major racing events such as Royal Ascot, the Melbourne Cup, and the Kentucky Derby. Many of these celebs own thoroughbred racehorses and bet a lot of money on them.
Some well-known celebrity gamblers who love to bet on horse racing include James Marsden, Elizabeth Banks, and Queen Elizabeth.
Football Betting
Some celebrities bet on the outcome of a football match to earn some extra money, while some do it just to make the whole game-watching experience all the more interesting. Charlie Sheen and 50 Cent have been known to bet on the game in the past.
List of Celebrity Gamblers
Now let’s take a look at the biggest celebrity gamblers, in no particular order. Some of these names might surprise you.
Michael Phelps
Everybody knows Michael Phelps for his feats in the pool. Over the course of five Summer Olympics from 2000 to 2016, the swimmer smashed myriad world records, most notably by winning a total of 23 gold medals. But you might not know that he’s also one of the world’s most famous compulsive gamblers, whose fondness for poker has developed into what some may call an addiction.
Game of Choice
Friends of Phelps say they were worried that the swimmer would squander all his money on poker. They say that Phelps is extremely competitive and loves to win, both in the pool and at the table. He has wagered hundreds of thousands of dollars on poker already.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is one of the most famous basketball players of our time. He was nigh unbeatable on the court. But when it came to gambling, Jordan was never as successful. Rumors from the past have alluded to the fact that Jordan retired from basketball at the height of his career because of his gambling addiction.
Game of Choice
MJ is famous for his sports betting. Most of his bets were made on the golf course. According to Richard Esquinas, Jordan had to pay almost $1 million over a golfing bet. The Chicago Bulls superstar also admitted to losing millions at an Atlantic City casino.
Despite losing these staggering sums, Jordan is still worth approximately half a billion dollars.
Ben Affleck
These days, Ben Affleck is more interested in playing cards than playing Batman. Often found at Las Vegas casinos, Affleck has gained quite a reputation as a famous gambler.
Game of Choice
People have often reported Ben Affleck gambling with his old-time buddy Matt Damon at poker and blackjack tables. His fierce poker skills led him to win the 2004 California State Poker Championship. Fellow celebrities like James Wood have also praised his poker prowess.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is an extremely successful American boxer whose luck extended well beyond the ring. Due to his competitive nature and winner’s attitude, Mayweather is also known as one of the big celebrity gamblers out there.
Game of Choice
Mayweather likes to bet on football matches. He’s famous for spending $11 million on a single Denver Broncos match. More recently, though, he placed a whopping $5.9 million bet on the Miami Heat against the Indiana Pacers, earning him an astounding $6.49 million.
John Daly
It would be hard to talk about athletes with gambling problems and not mention John Daly. This professional golfer is known for his whopping tee shots, but off the green he’s a compulsive gambler.
Game of Choice
Daly’s game of choice is blackjack – he has been known to play up to seven hands at a time. He would command quite a crowd to his table. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him from being terrible at the game. Overall, Daly wasted a staggering $90 million from his winnings and sponsorship deals. It’s said that he somehow managed to recover $35 million, but the result was still a loss of almost $60 million.
Elizabeth Banks
Anyone who has seen an Elizabeth Banks movie knows that she is a skilled actress. But she’s also a pretty skilled gambler; Banks has been placing bets on horses with her father since she was 10 years old.
Game of Choice
Banks loves to bet on horses using the exacta box strategy. This means the actress picks the horse that has the best odds and pairs it with one with the worst odds in an exacta box.
Jennifer Tilly
Academy Award nominee Jennifer Tilly is known for her soft and sultry voice, but that’s not all she’s famous for. It may come as a surprise to some people that Tilly is also a professional gambler. Her love of poker developed at a young age when she would spend time gambling with her father.
Game of Choice
Tilly’s game of choice is poker. She’s proven her talent and skill in the game by winning multiple major competitions in the United States. In 2005 she won the World Series of Poker Ladies bracelet, while also beating more than 600 competitors to claim the Ladies’ No-Limit Texas Hold ’em event, where she raked in $158,625. Tilly was even nominated for PokerListings’ Spirit of Poker Living Legend Award in 2014, and was also featured on the cover of Card Player Magazine.
Charles Barkley
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is known for his penchant for gambling. The former basketball player has admitted that he has lost millions of dollars on bets, but he says he will never quit because he can afford to gamble.
Game of Choice
People have seen Charles Barkley gambling at blackjack and betting on soccer. He once admitted to winning $700,000 in a single weekend from blackjack and betting on the results of the Super Bowl – he bet on the victory of the Colts over the Bears.
He has also admitted to losing over $10 million gambling in total and was sued for owing $400,000 to a casino.
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth is one of the most famous gamblers on the planet. And she loves horses. This royal leader has a stable full of thoroughbred horses, which she breeds herself.
Game of Choice
Understandably, Queen Elizabeth loves to see her horses win and was seen jumping out of her seat from joy when her thoroughbred Free Agent raced ahead of the horses in the last three furlongs and won the race.
However, since she is the Queen, she only bets occasionally. Even then, she’s a pretty good judge of her horses and has won her fair share of bets.
Gladys Knight
Known as the “Empress of Soul,” Gladys Knight is a famous American singer, songwriter, author, businesswoman, and gambler. Unfortunately, “gambler” doesn’t quite describe it; she’s actually one of the most notorious celebrity gambling addicts out there. Since she has never been able to gamble responsibly, Knight has decided to cut her losses and quit betting.
Game of Choice
Knight was a big-time blackjack and baccarat addict. She has admitted to spending $40,000 in one night at the baccarat table.
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson quickly became a household name for her work on shows like “Baywatch” and her passion for animal welfare. But the sultry actress is also one of the most successful gamblers among celebrities.
Game of Choice
Anderson’s game of choice is poker, but she’s also a fan of the slots. In fact, she met her former husband while gambling. Not only is Anderson a frequent visitor of famous casinos, but she also launched her own poker site in 2006. However, she has also admitted to losing about $250,000 in a single night. Thankfully she was able to clear away her debt and focus on the game once again.
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson, better known as 50 Cent, has made millions by selling his music, making endorsements, and investing in businesses like Vitamin Water. He’s also a pretty successful gambler.
Game of Choice
The rapper has bet millions of dollars on football, boxing and other pro sports. He famously won $1 million on a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar de la Hoya, as well as $500,000 on an NFL Championship Game between the Giants and the 49ers.
To top it all off, 50 Cent is also a poster child for Bitcoin, encouraging his fans to buy his fifth album “Animal Ambition” with the famous cryptocurrency. He has made around $500,000 in Bitcoin sales, which is now worth approximately $7 million.
Summary
It’s no secret that celebrities are rolling in the dough. Many famous actors, athletes, and musicians can afford to bet hundreds of thousands of dollars without even batting an eyelid. There have even been extreme cases of famous celebrity gamblers winning millions of dollars while playing card games or betting on sports. But there have been just as many cases of celebs losing everything.
Gambling can be thrilling and can help you earn money without ever moving from your seat. Then again, if you don’t have a smart plan to back it up, it can cost you big time.
Image sources:
- Wikimedia Commons, Photograph taken by Julian Calder for Governor-General of New Zealand
- Gage Skidmore, via flickr.com, under Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) license.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If we’re talking per capita, then the United Kingdom has the most gamblers. However, this doesn’t mean the UK is the biggest-spending country.
That honor goes to China – the country spends about $36.5 billion a year on gambling. Macau has fewer casinos than Las Vegas, but its revenue from gambling is way larger than what comes from Sin City. In 2019, Macau brought in more than $29 billion compared to the $6.6 billion bought in by Las Vegas. This is a good indication of how much money is spent on gambling in China, considering Macau is only one of its regions where gambling is legalized.
Australians lose the most money to gambling per capita. According to the New York Times, the average Australian adult loses approximately US$1,000 per year to gambling.
Edward E Thorpe is perhaps the most famous gambler. Thorpe earned a degree in mathematics at UCLA and was the first person to use a computer to understand blackjack strategies. He also wrote a book on card counting called “Beat the Dealer,” which is considered to be one of the best guides to winning at blackjack.
With a net worth of $800 million earned from his gambling ventures in Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe, Thorpe is one of the richest gamblers in history.
It is widely believed that Bill Benter is the richest gambler in the world. Like Thorpe, Benter was a professor of mathematics before he eschewed his career in favor of gambling. After several years of training, Benter became so good at playing blackjack with the call counting strategy that casinos started to ban him because he would almost always win.
Since he was no longer welcome in casinos, Benter turned to sports betting, particularly horse betting, developing a model to help him better predict the outcome of horse races. He later earned millions after developing software. Estimates say Benter earns $100 million annually, and his net worth is almost $1 billion, surpassing the net worth of most celebrity gamblers.