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Celebs are loaded with money, and many of them use that money to gamble. It's not strange to see celebrities such as actors and musicians at opulent tables at Las Vegas casinos. You could say that the glitz and glamour of Hollywood go hand in hand with the extravagance of high-end gaming. Besides, it's easier to just let go and enjoy the excitement when you don't have to worry too much about your spending.
Not every famous person who graced a casino can really be classified as a celebrity gambler, though. Most of those who really enjoy this hobby tend to keep it on the down-low – sometimes for PR reasons, sometimes just for privacy. In fact, you probably didn't even know most of the celebs on our list ever saw a stack of chips.
Some are successful in it, some less so, but they still come back to the tables time and time again. Some have even struggled with problem gaming, obviously reaching a point where the fun turns sour. We can view these stories as cautionary or interesting – you be the judge. We're just here to list 10 of the most famous real-life celebrities who were reported to have an addiction to gambling.
Dana White
The president of the UFC Dana White is very famous for his gambling habits. He is apparently very good at it, too, with reports that some nights he walks away with up to $5 million just from playing blackjack. He is known to bet $50,000 per hand and has been asked by many casino officials to stop playing at their grounds.
Obviously, his skills are hurting the casinos’ profits. He is notorious for not paying the UFC fighters enough for their fights, but he doesn’t mind staking huge lumps of cash on twenty-one.
Palms Casino in Las Vegas apparently banned Dana White from playing at their casinos on at least two separate occasions. More information can be found in the Las Vegas Review Journal here.
Tiger Woods
Besides being the most famous and probably best golf player ever, Tiger Woods is known for his vices too, like sexual affairs and gambling. The hotshot putter is no stranger to controversy, and casino tables are right up there with other vices.
We cannot say that Woods has a gambling addiction, but one thing is for sure – he likes to partake, and he likes to do it big.
One of his mistresses confirmed the rumor that Tiger bets $25,000 per hand when playing blackjack. He is known to be a high roller player and has even received a $1 million betting limit by the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where he always requests for the table to be filled with beautiful girls.
Woods' gambling addiction has become public when he became good friends with Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, who you'll also find on this list.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck is a passionate card player, be it poker or blackjack. Back in 2001, he reportedly lost a $400,000 poker hand and subsequently checked himself into rehab to address his gambling problem.
Affleck is known to spend hours playing cards in casinos, and many times under the influence of alcohol. A bad idea by any measure – especially if you have heaps of cash on hand.
One time he wagered $60,000 on a blackjack hand while inebriated and managed to win $800,000. He even generously tipped the casino staff with no less than $150,000, which at least shows good etiquette.
However, his story is still best viewed as a cautionary one. Perhaps the biggest incident for Affleck was when he was banned from a certain Las Vegas casino due to card counting. Oh, and that’s not a rumor – he admitted that he counted cards during rounds of Blackjack.
Tobey Maguire
Toby is most famous for his leading role in the Spider-Man movies, but he is also famous for his affection for poker. This has led him into troubled waters in his past, such as the unfortunate incident when he was sued for participating in an illegal poker ring.
On a brighter note, Maguire is also active in the World Series of Poker and has seen some success. Records of certain above-board tournaments show him putting up massive sums while also taking home the pot repeatedly.
So far, he has allegedly won a total of $10 million by playing poker games in casinos. However, this only serves to emphasize his gripping addiction to the game, which was only exasperated by other issues such as drinking.
It goes to show that the road to addiction is filled with both highs and lows, which is why we players need to be all the more careful.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is currently the undefeated professional boxer that has knack for betting on sports. One relatively recent report shows him net a cool $3 million win from a wager on college football. He is also known to regularly bet up to $400,000 per sporting event.
His ex-wife even has said that one time she had to drop off $700,000 for him to cover his casino. Back in January 2014, the media reported that Floyd Mayweather may have placed a $10 million bet that the Broncos would win the Super Bowl.
In 2017, Conor McGregor mentioned Mayweather’s gambling addiction during their face-off before their fight in Las Vegas.
While this mixing of professionalism and gambling is often indicative of problems, it has to be said that only Mayweather's successes ever saw real acclaim.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan seems like one of those people who dominate whatever they get their hands on. He definitely hasn’t had as much success in gambling as he had in playing basketball, though. \
Though he is often cited as the best basketball player ever to grace the court, his gambling skills might need improving. The first case in which the public saw glimpses of addiction was when he admitted that he lost $165,000 in Atlantic City in 1993 alone. It's an eye-watering amount, especially when you account for inflation.
Jordan is also an avid poker player, with a track record that is less than impeccable. Apparently, the propencity for betting comes into full view whenever he plays golf with celebs like Tiger Woods and Charles Barkley. At one time Jordan lost $1.25 million in golf to Richard Esquinas, a businessman from San Diego.
It is even rumoured that gambling was the cause of his retirement from basketball. It's a bit of a bold claim, but it certainly didn't help Jordan's public image in a controversial part of his career.
Charles Barkley
Barkley is another famous athlete fully devoted to gambling. However, it seems that his gambling career hasn’t been as successful as his athletic one – losing has been a major part of the story. In an interview back in 2006 he said that he lost nearly $10 million and incredible $2.5 million in just one night of Blackjack.
He has admitted that gambling is a serious problem for him when he said that he lost $700,000 in one weekend by betting on the Super Bowl. In 2008 he stated that he will not gamble anymore when a casino sued him for owing $400,000. After a 2-year break, he returned to his old habits. Since his return to casinos, Barkley has been practicing “moderation”. When he was asked how much money he had lost in the past, he responded by giving an estimation of $30 million.
Ray Romano
The actor known for “Everybody Loves Raymond” is actually a former Gamblers Anonymous member – a fact he has been known to bring up when discussing the pitfalls of fame and success.
The funny and lovable guy we all watched in the popular sitcom was battling addiction while the show was still on. A couple of years after the end of the show he was admitted into the program after what Romano personally described as a downward spiral.
On a hopeful note, he went there by his own will and thankfully was successful in getting this bad habit under control. However, old habits do die hard – he is still gambling as part of the World Series of Poker. Albeit he has yet to see much success, it's safe to say that Romano's approach is healthier than in the past. It seems nowadays he is content to deal with virtual sports and similar no-risk alternatives.
Charlie Sheen
Everybody knows Charlie Sheen! Charlie has seemingly always been in the spotlight for his many vices, and gambling is but one of them.
Sheen's ex-wife and actress Denise Richards claimed that Charlie was at one point spending over $200,000 per week just to satisfy his gambling lust. Of course, this was during a highly publicized and highly controversial era of his career.
According to Richards, he squandered millions of dollars on his bad habits, all the while forgetting to pay child support. He regularly played poker and loved to bet on sports.
Reportedly, things got so bad at one point that he used a sports betting app to wager while on the way to his daughter's birth! There's a time and place for everything, and even the most grizzled punter will tell you that the birth of your child is not the time for a punt.
Thankfully, after several hard years of juggling multiple addictions, Sheen seems to be on the road to improvement. According to statements circa 2012, Charlie no longer gambles.
Allen Iverson
Average sports fans think of Allen Iverson as a successful basketball player, one of the very best.
However, little do they know that Allen Iverson went broke because of his gambling debts. His NBA career has earned him $200 million, only for him to throw them away on gambling and drinking.
Despite being broke, also ended up neck-deep in piles of debt. His wife subsequently left him, and he lost most of the sponsorship deals, such as the $50 million lifetime collaboration with Rebook.
Iverson has had many unpleasant situations while playing in casinos that were caught in media-feeding frenzies. He has even been in feuds with casino employees and being caught urinating in a casino trash can. Unsurprisingly, he has been banned by many casinos in Atlantic City and Detroit.
His story is perhaps the saddest on this list, with little in the way of a happy ending or resolution. The only indication of real improvement is that Iverson eventually stopped having public outbursts related to gambling, so our only hope is that he managed to turn things around.
Related Articles
The topic of gambling is a very delicate one. Firstly, many players struggle to recognize signs of things becoming problematic and easily get lost in gambling addiction.
On the other hand, we should also remember that there is indeed a healthy, safe way to gamble, while also keeping in mind that the danger of addiction should never be underestimated. Therefore, you should at least be equipped to spot the signs of problem behaviour. Start by researching gambling addiction treatment and gambling addiction support – both for you and for your loved ones.
It can be difficult to get help for gambling addiction due to social stigma and shame, but there are ways to find help. Remember – you're not alone, and many others have managed to both face their problems and overcome them by seeking proper treatment and support.
Be aware of different forms of gambling addiction support. Check out this article if you want to learn about 10 common warning signs that point at gambling addiction.
Finally, you should also research responsible gambling and inquire about the many facets of responsible play and the steps and measures you can use to keep things on the straight and narrow.
