Gambling appeals to some ancient circuitry in the human brain, and in some form or another is a favourite pastime (or addiction) for many people all over the world, and celebrities are no exception. Here’s a rundown of some of the biggest stars who lost big, or won gambling.
Celebrity gamblers (big losers)
- Famous movie star Ben Affleck was reported to have lost around $400,000 to the president of Universal Studios Ron Meyer in a secret game.
- American basketball legend Michael Jordan lost $1 million at a stake in a single golf game, betting $250,000 per putt. Such an amount is unlikely to faze the former Chicago Bulls player who has an estimated net worth of about $1.7 billion as of 2019.
- Canadian-American actress and model Pamela Anderson lost $250,000 in a single night in Las Vegas.
- American Basketball player and one-time NBA Most Valuable Player Allen Iverson spent all the money ($200 million) earned during his professional career on gambling. The 11-time NBA All-Star player has been banned from casinos in both Detroit and Atlantic City due to his gambling problems.
- American actress and former fashion model Shannon Elizabeth, has cashed four times in a World Series of Poker, $11,000 at a game.
- Once the highest-paid American TV stars on a network primetime show grossing about $1.8 million per episode, Charlie Sheen reportedly lost $2.5 million in three months.
- American professional golfer and one of the most popular athletes of the century, Tiger Woods, gambled away a total of $58.5 million within seven years.
Lucky celebrity gamblers (and the winner is…)
- American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor 50 Cent reportedly won $1 million with a bet on the Mayweather – de la Hoya boxing match in 2007.
- American-Canadian actress and poker player Jennifer Tilly is the only person to have won a World Series of Poker bracelet exceeding $750,000 in winnings.
- American professional poker player and nightclub owner/promoter Jean Robert Bellande has amassed more than $1.1 million in poker.
- American professional golfer Phil Mickelson is said to have bet $20,000 on the Super Bowl in 2000 and walked away with $560,000.
- American actor, producer, and director Don Johnson won close to $6 million playing Blackjack in one night in Atlantic City.
To learn more about celebrities who had their careers ruined as a result of their gambling addictions as well as other intriguing facts, check out this infographic below.
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