Celebs With Gambling Problems
Gambling is a huge industry. But it also can lead to addiction. Here's several successful people who nearly lost it all gambling. When that time arrives and all the gambling problems come to the surface, the monetary and interpersonal losses can grow massive. Take a look at two successful athletes who have tasted the bittersweet thrill of gambling. Every time a list is published with the names of the biggest celebrity gamblers, Peter Rose is part of it. Even some of the world’s wealthiest men and women, celebrities even, are addicted to gambling, and it costs them more than they are willing to admit. Read on to find out which of your favorite celebs are notorious gamblers that might border on the line of addictive. Celebrity Gamblers and Celebrity Gambling addicts - Check out our list of the most famous gamblers in Hollywood and between superstar athletes. Do you want to know which celebrities you can meet in big poker tournaments and which celebrities already lost a fortune in gambling? Celebrities with a gambling problem: Allen Iverson June 7, 2014 Stephen Charlesworth. After ending his basketball career in 2010, Allen Iverson entered a tumultuous phase of his life. The former NBA star developed a serious gambling problem and he was kicked out of several casinos.
Being a celebrity is hard. It may not seem like it amid the bright lights and red carpets. But ask anyone who has had their life put under a lens for every microsecond, it is not fun at all. One common pastime among the elite is gambling. For the most part, celebrities use gambling as a fun activity to enjoy with friends. But sometimes the pressure of stardom gets the better of them and things can go sideways fast. So, who are these celebrated individuals who have an insatiable passion for gambling?
Tiger Woods – Whose real name is Eldrick Tont Woods is a well-known American golfer. Many regard Tiger as the best player in the world. Some of the feathers in his cap include most PGA tour wins, and he is second in the major championships. There is no doubt about Tiger’s prowess on the golf course. His talents made him the first pro athlete to reach a billion in earnings. But there is a side of Tiger that many choose to ignore. He is known to have an unhealthy passion for gambling. At one point Tiger is rumoured to have played $25,000 hands in blackjack. The problem is so deep-set that MGM Grand put a cap on how much he can bet, which is $1million.
Ben Affleck – From Golden Globes to Academy Awards, Ben has seen it all. This multi-talented American actor has also applied his talents to film producing and directing. Since the beginning of his career in 1981, he has starred in many blockbusters which include Argo, The Accountant, and Runner Runner. Ben is an avid gambler. He won $356,000 when he came first at the California State Poker Champion. But things have not always gone his way. Affleck once lost $400,000 in poker. He admitted to having a problem with gambling in 2001, and also checked into rehab. His exploits at the Hard Rock are well documented. Affleck was accused of card counting and was ejected from the casino.
Ray Romano – The celebrated Emmy Award-winning actor previously appeared on the TV series “Men of a Certain Age” as Joe Tranelli. This character is a great gambler with big problems controlling himself and who eventually manages to get out of this addiction. In reality, this character is based on the true experience of Romano who also managed his addiction by playing on non gamstop casino sites where he favours sports betting. He also regularly participates in the WSOP with the dream of winning the coveted bracelet.
Tobey Maguire – Tobey started his acting journey in 1989. His biggest success to date is Spider-Man, where he plays the role of Peter Parker. But he has starred in many other movies like The Great Gatsby, Wonder Boys, The Cider House Rules, and more. Maguire also has a well-catalogued passion for poker. He was one of the celebrity appearances in the underground poker rooms run by Molly Boom. Tobey Maguire is also a regular at World Series of Poker tournaments.
Allen Iverson – The story of Allen Iverson is truly a tragic one. He is a former basketball player who plied his trade in the NBA. He played for professional teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, and Detroit Pistons. The 2001 NBA MVP is also an 11 time NBA All-star and the Philadelphia 76ers retired his number 3 jersey. Iverson amassed over $200million throughout his basketball career. That is why it is so tragic that he is now broke. Through a combination of wild gambling and bad life choices, Iverson blew the millions he had and even sunk further in debt. Things got so bad that he is no longer welcome at the Taj Mahal, Detroit Greektown, and MGM.
Floyd Mayweather Jr – Might well be the best boxer of all time, well at least that’s what he says. He has won numerous titles across multiple weight classes. Mayweather retired but then came back again for a single fight appearance. Well, no one knows if he will come out of retirement again, but at the last count, he was unbeaten. It’s easy to see why the name “the best ever” might stick. When he is not punching the brains out of some unlucky chump, Floyd likes to flutter on sports. His documented wagers include a $50,000 bet which he made in favour of Colorado State, bagging a cool $45,000 profit in the process. Mayweather also takes to twitter when he has made a huge bet. Once, he stated he had placed a $1,1million bet on Oregon, and the expected pay-out was a million dollars. Of course, this is not much when you get a 100million dollars per fight.
Celebrity Gamblers and Celebrity gambling addicts
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Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather is probably the best-known and best boxer of the last couple of decades. He can boast a total of 50 wins and not a single defeat. He also managed to defeat the world-famous MMA fighter, Connor McGregor. But according to the media, he does not seem to be able to win over his gambling addiction. Between 2012 and 2015, he regularly exhibited photos on social media of betting worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to the latest news, the famous boxer owes around $50 million to Las Vegas casinos. This information began to spread shortly after he announced that he would refight Manny Pacquiao, even though he had announced several times that he had quit boxing.
Matt Damon
Hollywood star Matt Damon, whom you could have seen, for example, trying to survive alone in the movie “Martian”, also enjoys a visit to the casino in addition to the movie’s space visits. For example, he often participates in the biggest World Series of Poker event, where he likes to play with his good friend Ben Affleck. However, according to some media, Matt Damon, although he is a good actor, is not a good poker player.
At least he has not yet won any of the official tournaments yet, despite being actively interested in playing poker. Once he even played a poker character in the movie “Rounders”. While doing research for this role, Matt went to the World Series of Poker in 1998, where he quickly dropped out after losing $20 000.
Michael Jordan
Rapid wins and adrenaline rushes from gambling have even lured one of most famous ever American basketball players. The winner of a number of sporting awards, including two Olympic Gold medals, he was well known in casinos at the time, and has been involved in a number of wild stories.
In 2007, for example, during the NBA All-Star weekend, he played craps so passionately that he did not want anyone else to go to the thrower post. Which was obviously a mistake because he had allegedly lost more than $5 million that night. After this giant loss, Jordan went on to “celebrate” at a nearby strip bar, where he and his friends got involved in a fight that even ended up in a shooting.
Pamela Anderson
Sports Stars With Gambling Problems
Another celebrity that we present today is the famous American actress, most well-known for her amateur sex recording and subsequent role in the profiled series “Baywatch”. According to our information, Pamela Anderson likes to play the slot machines, but her favorite game is poker. Sadly, she is not a good player.
According to the information provided by the actress during the Ellen Degeneres show, she lost at least $250,000 one evening in a Las Vegas casino. However, this debt was never paid off. Apparently, she was “forgiven” by Antonis Esfandiari in exchange for unspecified sexual services. Interestingly, after this affair, according to Pamela, they fell in love and, after a few months, announced their engagement.
Allen Iverson
The higher he jumped, the harder he fell. This is how you could sum up the life of Allen Iverson. This sporting legend, who grew up literally in the ghetto, and, before the end of high school was imprisoned for four months for assault, eventually got things together and started an incredible career. Iverson is considered one of the top five basketball players in history and is estimated to have earned over $200 million in his career.
All this money, however, is gone. And all this, largely because of his alcohol and gambling addiction. “Iverson will either drink himself into oblivion or lose the rest of his life in the casino,” wrote journalist Stephen A. Smith, who worked on his life story.
The final straw was the divorce from his long-term wife, Tawanna, which happened in 2012. According to witness testimonies, Iverson even literally turned his pockets inside out in court to show that he had no more money.
Jaromir Jagr – gambling like a pro?
The famous hockey player Jaromir Jagr #68, in addition to the legend of a hockey god, also has the reputation for not being a good gambler (celebrity gamblers).
According to the US online magazine, Complex, Jagr is even among the top ten biggest gamblers in sporting history. The Golden Olympian from Nagano once lost $950 000 in a year in an online casino. Jagr also likes to spend time in brick-and-mortar casinos. In his words, that is the only place where he really feels at peace.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods is one of the most famous golfers. Besides that, he became famous in the gambling world as a high roller at blackjack tables. He is renowned for playing blackjack with the highest limits, which can be up to $200 000 per hand. However, he mostly does not win.
According to a British daily, he could have lost over $50 million. And this is just in the first seven years when Woods entered professional sports. The figure will actually be much higher, because Woods has played blackjack longer than he has played golf professionally. When he was 20 years old, he got caught in a casino with a fake ID.
Tobey Maguire
Hollywood actor Tobey Maguire is best known as the superhero in Spiderman’s first trilogy. In private, however, Maguire does not behave like a hero and role model for the next generation. Among his colleagues and in the tabloids, he is known for his passion for poker and bad behavior. According to Molly Bloom, the famous organizer of poker tournaments, Maguire was one of the best players, but one of the worst people she had ever worked with.
In her book, for example, Maguire offered her a $1 000 chip if she barked like a seal that wanted to fish. Bloom refused to bark, to which the famous actor said, “I’m not kidding. Are you so rich that you do not bark for a thousand dollars? ”
Another scandal figuring that popular comic character happened in 2011 when the court ordered him to pay an $80 000 fine for participating in an illegal poker tournament.
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is a Canadian-American actress and poker player. As one of the few on our list, she is successful in both of these fields. As an actress, Tilly is best known as Olive in “Bullets over Broadway”, for which she was nominated for an Oscar. You can also see her together with the unbelievable Jim Carrey in the movie ”Liar Liar”.
In addition to glory on the silver screen, Jennifer Tilly was named as a top poker player. In 2005 she won $158 000 at the Ladies Night No Limit World Series. She won third place at the World Poker Tour Ladies’ Invitational Tournament in the same year. Tilly has won several tournaments and in 2008 announced the end of her poker career.
But she apparently missed poker more than she thought, because two years later she returned to the gaming tables. It is estimated that she has earned about $900 000 in her poker career.
Charlie Sheen’s gambling addiction
One of the most famous celebrity gamblers – surely none of you will be surprised that controversial Charlie Sheen has also emerged amongst the gambling celebrities. His gambling only complements the collection of addictions that this famous actor suffers from. Charlie can definitely afford to bet. In the days of his greatest glory, when he starred in the “Two and a Half Man” series, Sheen was earning $1.8 million per episode.
Charlie did not save on his gambling addiction. According to his former wife, he regularly lost up to $ 200 000 a day in casinos and sports betting.
Ben Affleck
Like Jennifer Tilly, another Hollywood star on our list is among the players who hold the reins of the bet tightly in their hands. The star of movies such as “Good Will Hunting”, “Argo” and “Justice League”, says he has no problem with gambling. One could say that gambling has a problem with him. Literally.In 2014, he was banned from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where he was caught counting cards at blackjack. Affleck doesn’t deny that he can play blackjack on a professional level: “I took some time and learned to play pretty well. Once I became good, the casino asked me not to play blackjack. I think the fact that being good in something is against the rules tells more about casinos than about me, ” Affleck commented on the affair.
In addition to blackjack, Ben Affleck also plays poker. In 2004, he managed to win $356 000 in a $9 900 + 100 No Limit Hold’em Championship.
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth is a renowned American actress, poker player and former model that you will remember from her most famous role in the 1999 comedy “American Pie”.
Beautiful and talented Elizabeth is also one of the regular poker tournament visitors. She even claims that poker is her second job. Several times a month, she can be seen in Las Vegas and other casinos all over America.
Although Elizabeth has not won any big tournament yet, her earnings from playing poker are estimated to exceed $200 000.
50 Cent
50 Cent, with his civilian name of James Jackson, is a well-known American rapper who has led a rather controversial life. He was shot once, stabbed and jailed several times. For part of his life, he also made money as a drug dealer. Although it would not be known that he was also gambling, he would bet on some rare occasions. The biggest bet he ever made was half a million dollars for the match between the New York Giants and San Francisco.
Ray Romano
Ray Romano is an American actor, known above all as the main character in the TV show “Men of a Certain Age”. He also played the role of Joe Tranelli, a pathological gambler and addicted player. Interestingly, Ray Romano himself is a passionate player. Since 2007, he has been regularly participating in the World Series of Poker, in which he finished third in 2013.
In addition to poker, Romano also plays craps or online betting. In the past, his problem was so great that Romano decided to seek help from Gamblers Anonymous.
George Clooney
Danny’s representative in the “Ocean’s Eleven” film series, as well as the main movie character, has a very close relationship with casinos. Clooney is a regular visitor to top poker events and likes to play blackjack or craps. He himself attempted to open his own casino and invested more than 200 million dollars in that venture. This plan, however, did not work out.
John Daly
John Patrick Daly, his full name, is an American professional player and multiple golf champion. In his autobiography, he admits that he had a very serious gambling problem in the past. He said he could have lost $50-60 million in 15 years. His biggest loss was apparently in October 2005, when he lost $1.5 million in one month.
Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley was a leading American basketball player. From 1984 until the end of his active sporting career in 2000, he played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rocket. After he left basketball, Barkley was particularly passionate about gambling.
In an interview with ESPN, Barkley said he could have lost about $10 million in his lifetime. He also admitted that he had lost 2.5 million dollars in a 6-hour blackjack session. He ended up in court in 2008, when he was sued by Winn Casino for $400 000 in unpaid losses. Barkley acknowledged the amount and immediately paid up. After this trial, he said on several occasions that he had stopped gambling.
Pete Rose
Club Manager and player for the MLB Reds and enthusiastic baseball gambler is not exactly the most uncomfortable combination. Pete Rose was in the club as a player and as Manager after his retirement. His career, however, ended the allegations of sports betting that he had long vehemently denied. However, according to the commission of inquiry, he would have made at least 52 bets on the Reds and in some cases, bet away about $10 000 a day.
Rose admitted in 2004 that those allegations were true. He adds in one breath that he has never bet against his own team.
Celebrities With Gambling Problems
Antonie Walker
One of the greatest talents of the American NBA has managed to spend more than most people earn in their whole lifetime. By the end of his professional career in 2008, he could have made about $110 million. Two years later, Walker announced personal bankruptcy. The former player himself admitted that he spent most of his fortune on expensive cars, luxury houses and jewelry for himself and his friends.
He famously gambled away much of his wealth, even with another former baseball player, Michael Jordan. Walker was certainly a better basketball player than a gambler. He ended up with a total debt of $880 000 to three Las Vegas casinos and three lawsuits for listing bad checks.
Celebrity Gamblers – Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton
This pair of basketball players is behind one of NBA’s biggest scandals when these players pulled out weapons against each other in the locker room. It all concerned a dispute about winnings from a card game that both players had played in a few days before this incident. Neither of them eventually shot, but even so, this event made big news at the time.
Both Areas and Crittenton were immediately suspended, and they also were put on probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor weapons charges. Arenas returned to basketball later and played until 2012. Critterton never played basketball professionally again and in 2015 was sentenced to 25 years in prison for manslaughter.