Famous Celebrity Gamblers: Why Do They Like To Play?

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Posted: April 29, 2020

Updated: April 29, 2020

  • A lot of famous people love gambling.
  • Some of them are experienced players who win big tournaments.
  • In our article, we have listed the top 5 famous celebrity gamblers.
Image source: Lillaaa / CC BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons

A large number of famous people love gambling. For them, it has become the best way to relax from the daily rush. Some of the stars manage to participate even in professional tournaments. Moreover, they often win while having managed to get around a huge number of experienced rivals. But who are those famous celebrity gamblers? Let’s take a look at the big-name American players!

Eva Longoria and Eva’s Heroes

The top list of famous celebrity gamblers is opened by Eva Longoria. She is the star of the television series Desperate Housewives, an entrepreneur and producer. Her favorite type of gambling is poker. Eva is so in love with card games that she even intended to open her casino with her friend Victoria Beckham. When they failed to carry out their plan, Longoria decided to go the other way.

In 2008, the actress organized the first charity gambling tournament. She held it in San Antonio, Texas. In 2017, the Celebrity Casino Night competition celebrated its 10th anniversary. The poker tournament is sponsored by the Eva’s Heroes Foundation. It involves businessmen, social activists, and Hollywood stars, including Eva herself. Moreover, Longoria transfers the money won at the tournaments to the needs of people with intellectual disabilities. 

Matt Damon and Celebrity Gamblers’ Scandals

The second place in our list is taken by Matt Damon – Good Will Hunting, Mr. Bourne, and the famous Martian. His favorite type of gambling is poker as well. Moreover, Matt prefers Texas Hold’em to other varieties of the game. He became addicted to gambling in 1998 on the set of the movie Rounders. The actor spent 25 thousand dollars to gain experience at the poker table. Moreover, he took lessons from professionals and visited underground casinos in New York. 

After finishing work on Rounders, Damon’s passion for gambling did not cool. The actor even managed to attend closed tournaments arranged by poker princess Molly Bloom. This caused Matt a lot of problems with the American authorities investigating the illegal gambling business. Besides, some sources claim that at one of the secret poker parties, the Hollywood actor lost more than 40 thousand dollars. His love for the gambling industry then subsided. Matt gradually switched to quiet games with friends and only occasionally participates in charity tournaments or plays in one of the online casinos in the US.

George Clooney and His Casino

The third place is taken by one more famous celebrity gamblers – George Clooney. He is also an actor and a good friend of Matt Damon. Besides, both Matt and George participated in the film “Ocean’s Eleven.” The stars did not stop communicating even after the completion of the trilogy. Moreover, they might have been much more united by a common passion – a love of gambling. Clooney, like Damon, loves poker. 

The actor is so addicted to gambling that he invested more than $ 7 million in the construction of the Las Ramblas complex. It is a casino with its hotel and condominium. Also, hidden sources claim that it was an unhealthy craving for poker that caused the actor to break up with Elizabeth Canalis. The Italian TV presenter could not stand the constant “gambling bouts” and left the actor. The divorce was painful but even it did not force George Clooney to abandon poker. He continues to participate in various tournaments, including charity ones. Who knows maybe he is one of the Bovada Casino customers.

Cameron Diaz: Famous Celebrity Gambler and Philanthropist

The fourth position is taken by Cameron Diaz. In her filmography, there was a movie, the plot of which takes place in a casino – “What Happens In Vegas.” The actress herself repeatedly admitted that she is addicted to gambling. It’s worth Cameron to be near the casino, as the legs carry her inside, and the hands themselves buy chips. Moreover, Diaz loves to play Texas Hold’em.

Famous Celebrity Gamblers
Cameron Diaz in ’12 – Image source: Flickr

Cameron became a gambler thanks to Ellen Degeneres. It was the comedian and TV presenter who taught Cameron to play Texas Hold’em. Diaz easily beat Ellen and her husband the first time. It was then that the star realized that she had found her passion.

Cameron is constantly involved in tournaments and competitions. She plays so well that some experts claim that the actress will soon take away the poker queen title from Jennifer Tilly. Diaz herself does not go for titles. The star enjoys the process, and all the money won she donates to funds that help to treat cancer. Thus, Diaz may soon become one of the Famous Female Gamblers Throughout History.

Ben Affleck and His Ban On Card Games

The last on our list of famous celebrity gamblers is Ben Affleck. The actor is so obsessed with card games that he hired Annie Duke, the winner of the World Series of Poker and author of many books about gambling, as his teacher. Thus, now Affleck plays poker professionally. In 2004, under the leadership of Duke Affleck, he won second in the California State Poker Championship and received nearly 360 thousand dollars. The actor also took part in underground tournaments organized by Molly Bloom.

Affleck’s name is associated with a major scandal. Ben, who has a phenomenal memory, counted cards while playing blackjack and was able to earn $ 800,000 a night. He gave almost 150 thousand to the employees of the gaming house as a tip, but the celebration did not last long. The security of the Hard Rock casino, in which everything was happening, noticed the actor’s cunning and forbade Ben Affleck to play blackjack. Some Las Vegas casinos supported Hard Rock and stopped letting a star into the halls where he could play card games. Fortunately, online gambling is still accessible to the actor and other users. Bovada Casino is welcoming everyone! 

Click here to visit the Bovada Casino

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