The lure of Las Vegas is irresistible to all. Whether you’re an online player or you prefer the experience of a brick and mortar casino, the thrills are always potent. Celebrities aren’t immune to the draw of felt tables, glittering slot machines and the elation of a big win. Celebrities often have a bankroll most of us can only dream of, but playing big also means occasionally losing big too. Let’s take a look at some famous faces who love to pull up a seat on the casino floor for a few rounds of their favourite games.
Blackjack
Its reputation for being one of the few casino games that invites player strategy has attracted many people who fancy themselves smart enough to crack the game. Kevin Spacey’s film 21 is dedicated to the subject of card counting in Blackjack, and it seems many have taken its message to heart.
Charles Barkley’s performance on the basketball court far outshines his ability at the blackjack table. The former all-star developed a slightly unhealthy gambling obsession that unfortunately became a matter of public record. Barkley even admitted to losing a million dollars more than 30 times in his life. Can we just clarify that that’s over 30 million dollars. This includes a $2.5 million loss playing Blackjack, which he managed to lose in a six hour session. A man who’s quite frank about his losses, Charles estimates that he’s been down about $10 million in his lifetime when he thinks back to all his wins and losses. Thankfully his basketball expertise will keep a roof over his head for years to come.
Tiger Woods is famous for a few things, golf, his extramarital affair and also his love of the game of Blackjack. He’s been spotted pulling up a seat at the table alongside Michael Jordan numerous times. You won’t be surprised to learn that Woods doesn’t go for conservative gameplay. In fact, his $25K Blackjack hands are famous in casino circles. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas extends the golf star a million-dollar betting limit, which is rather a lot to splash out over a weekend in Sin City. It’s not surprising that a casino would extend such generous credit, particularly when it’s estimated that Tiger Woods’ lifetime losses are in the region of $50 million.
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Baccarat
Everybody knows that James Bond was partial to the elegant game of Baccarat, but what about real life celebrities who are less strict about their cocktail preparation?
Baccarat has a ritzy reputation and has ironically garnered the favour of Sean Connery, who played Bond seven times over. Ian Flemming, the author of the Bond series, was actually a Baccarat fan himself. This explains why he attributed such a trait to his main character, despite the movie franchise diverting away from this preference eventually.
Michael Jordan (who also makes an appearance on the Blackjack list) is a man who enjoys the delights of casino tables enormously. Even during his Pro ball playing days, he would frequently sneak away to enjoy a few hands of Baccarat. Jackie Chan is yet another Baccarat lover. He enjoyed the game so much that one of his films, Rush Hour 3, was plotted around some shady Baccarat pits (nothing like the glamorous casinos he frequents himself).
Gladys Knight, a popular soul singer, was such a fan of Baccarat that she often dropped thousands of dollars at the table. A single sitting famously cost her a whopping $40,000. She probably shouldn’t be quitting her day job.
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Slots and Jackpot Games
If you’ve been around the world of Slots for a while then you’re almost guaranteed to have come across a celebrity themed game or two. This blatant attempt to promote Slot games does mean that famous faces are exposed the the thrill of an instant win. Some very high profile personalities from the entertainment world have exposed themselves of lovers of the classic one armed bandit.
Despite her reputation as an avid (but not all to expert) poker player, Pamela Anderson is probably more well known for her association with flash Slots. Many a Las Vegas casino floor plays host to the Baywatch slot (which has been revamped a couple times). Whichever version you play, Pamela in all er red bathing suit glory is present on the reels.
The late television producer David Gest is best know for being married to Liza Minelli, but he also produced the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Celebration in 2001. Another thing he’s garnered a reputation for is his insatiable love of Slot games. He’s spent thousands of dollars on the spinning machines, whiling away most of his casino hours on various different slot games.
Paris Hilton is probably the most glamorous famous Slot player of all. The Hilton heiress is no stranger to Las Vegas, celebrating almost all her birthdays there since she turned the legal age of 21. Aside from the city being an excellent place to party, Paris is also famously a lover of gambling. She’s better known to pull up a seat at Blackjack and Baccarat tables, but she definitely likes a spin or two also. In fact, she was the face of BGO Casino for some time stating that her favourite slot games where Divine Fortune [link], Mega Fortune [link] and Golden Goddess [link].
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Sports
Sports betting isn’t a casino staple, but it definitely has its place in the gambling world. Several celebrities agree. In between starring roles in hit movies and TV series, Ashton Kutcher got his hands in a pretty lucrative sports betting operation. In an interview with Esquire Magazine Ashton even admitted to being a front for the largest national sports-betting syndicate in America. He used to place bets on behalf of professional sports bettors who weren’t allowed to gamble under their own name. As a group they would make about $750,000 in four weeks of college football.
50 Cent is another big name that loves to gamble. But you won’t find him seated at a casino table or sitting with a slot machine. He likes to spend a portion of the money made on record sales, movie roles, endorsements, and business ventures on wagers placed on sports games. Many would consider this to be a wise hobby, as he very famously won a million dollars betting on a boxing match. And it wasn’t just any boxing match, the lucrative game in question was Floyd Mayweather against Oscar de la Hoya. 50 cent also banked $500,000 when he bet on a NFC Championship Game between the 49ers and Giants in 2012.
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Poker
Poker pulls in the shiniest celebrity names. That’s party because of the bluff and strategy nature of the game, but also because it’s been vastly glamorised by Hollywood. And on the subject of Hollywood, some of film’s most famous names are now to swill whiskey and puff on cigars over a game of Texas Hold’Em or Omaha. The love of this classic game has found its way into the hearts of actors like Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Toby Maguire. In fact, a scandal a few years back emerged when these exact celebrities got busted for participating in an illegal underground Poker ring. The games took place in a multi-million dollar Beverly Hills mansion with a $100,000 buy in. A pretty exclusive game I would say.
Once again Michael Jordan makes the list. The ball player’s love of casinos was made infamous in the Netflix series ‘The Last Dance’, when the media consistently speculated on his love of gambling. During the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Jordan routinely played Poker late into the night, despite having a gold medal to win the next morning (don’t worry, he still won). Jordan will famously bet on anything, even which teammate will get their luggage first at the airport. Less humorous is the fact that he lost $5 million playing craps in Las Vegas and racked up $1.25 million in debt on golf bets – luckily he can afford it.
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