Gambling addiction affects people of all ages, income groups, cultures, and professions. Hollywood’s biggest movie stars and famous sportsmen have reportedly been noticed suffering from gambling addiction. And they are not immune to this vice. Let’s reveal some facts about famous addictions. Some of them are public about their passions and often appear in the most popular casinos around the world, and some prefer to play without any eyes. But everything becomes clear when celebrities win or lose huge sums of money playing, let’s say, at www.lasatlantis.com.
Gambling and sportsmen
The history of world sports has a sufficient number of cases when stars from different areas of sports prefer to bet and play in casinos.
Let’s begin with the famous golfer Tiger Woods. Tiger’s interest in gambling was sparked when he became friends with Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. The more time he spent with them, the more he played.
However, the golfer had his own version of what gambling should look like. It is a well-known fact that Tiger has a limit of 1 million in every casino in Las Vegas, as well as bets worth 25,000 max. According to some casino sources, Tiger always requested a table with a crowd of beautiful girls. It was these girls that became the reason why he divorced his wife, as a result of which the ex-wife sued him for a fortune. According to rumors, the divorce cost 750 million dollars.
The legendary basketball player Michael Jordan turned out to be no less reckless. The former basketball player has been the subject of much gambling gossip. For example, in 1993, when Jordan retired, there were rumors that the best player in the NBA left the sport precisely because of gambling. There even was speculation that NBA commissioner David Stern suspended Michael from the game. So he can afford to play whenever he wants, with more than 1 billion dollars in Jordan’s account. The athlete first admitted to gambling addiction in 1993 in an interview with a close friend. Jordan called his gambling addiction a hobby he could afford. In addition, Jordan owns a gambling club in Las Vegas.
The next famous gambler is brilliant American Swimmer Michael Phelps. The main problem of Michael Phelps is not gambling but the spirit of competition. The thirst for competition moved Phelps in the field of sports, resulting in him winning 22 Olympic medals. But it also brought the swimmer to the gambling table. According to the athlete’s friends, Phelps’s problem culminated in 2012 after the London Olympics, when he began to play more and more. His competitive way of thinking and behavior is based on the principle of don’t leave until you win. This approach is great for the pool. However, in the world of gambling, it does not work. In 2012, Michael was spotted at a Baltimore, Maryland, casino where he played for eight hours straight and then got caught driving while intoxicated. Since then, the Olympic champion has begun the fight against gambling addiction and won.
So why are famous people, in particular sportsmen, so attracted to gambling? Psychologists believe that athletes often experience stressful situations, so they need to recoup in another area. They hope to cope with certain problems with the help of excitement, and sometimes they can no longer “tie up” with casinos and sweepstakes. However, great athletes who have become hostages of gambling still achieve high results in sports.
Psychologists explain that athletes are more vulnerable to gambling than ordinary people. They have all the qualities that develop a passion for gambling, such as a high level of energy and competitiveness, the expectation of victory, often unreasonable, and distorted optimism.
Studies have shown that gambling problems often occur when many are still studying at the university. At the same time, sports people prefer gambling, which requires a high skill level. Experts suggest that athletes themselves participate in competitions with high skill levels, which is why they choose complex and competitive games of chance.
The socialization of athletes is associated with a constant focus on competitions, so the nature of the competition from sports life is transferred to everyday life. Playing various games of chance, an athlete feels like a competition participant and has a rush of adrenaline.
Athletes have a high level of competitiveness, and it is hard to tolerate defeat. On the way to victory, many athletes are ready to give all their strength and finances, so they face hopelessness, despair, devastation, and addiction to gambling.
Factors that provoke a problem with gambling among athletes:
- They miss training and important sporting events due to gambling.
- Shows irritability and restlessness when not gambling.
- Compensate for losses in sports competitions by gambling.
- They often start disputes and conversations about gambling with friends and relatives.
- They borrow money that they spend on gambling.
Recent studies have shown that retired athletes are the most susceptible to gambling. A person who has been involved in sports for most of their life and then retired from it feels the need to re-experience the spirit of rivalry and competition. And these sensations are provided by gambling.
Now that everything is clear with sportsmen let’s move on to other celebrities.
Gambling and superstars
Pamela Anderson is known not only for her body transformations and a few roles in movies and on TV but also for her huge craving for excitement. The gambling debt of the blond diva somehow amounted to 250 thousand dollars. They say she paid off very easily – with sex! Although, according to the actress herself, she owed Rick Salomon, and the service was trifling – just a kiss. Anderson and Salomon registered their marriage twice, but later divorced. It happened after the star won $2.8 million in the World Series of Poker.
Actor Ben Affleck is considered one of the most successful gamblers around the world. He is very talented at card counting. Affleck first discovered his abilities while playing blackjack in London. As a result, he managed to get rich by 800 thousand dollars. But Ben Affleck did not escape the scandal that thundered in 2014. The actor visited the casino of the Caesars Windsor hotel in Canada, where he was accused of violating the rules and offered a different game. However, it is known that card counting is not a scam. After all, every talented player with a phenomenal memory is able to calculate which cards are no longer in the game and which ones are left.
In addition to blackjack, the movie star willingly plays poker. In particular, while playing in the California championship in 2004, he won more than 350 thousand dollars, and a year later, he earned another 25 thousand dollars.
Actor Bruce Willis, well known for his role as John McClane in Die Hard, also loves to gamble. More often, a Hollywood representative chooses craps or a dice game. And luck does not fail him. So, in the Route 66 casino in New Mexico, Willis triumphantly won 25 thousand dollars, betting only 9. And in 2017, at the MGM Grand, the actor could not resist and again tried his luck in the game of craps.
Interestingly, Bruce Willis visited Las Vegas to see the historic fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. But it seems that the casino was more interesting than boxing. By the way, the actor likes participating in craps, poker, roulette, and blackjack tournaments.
The legend Lady Gaga was spotted playing poker too. She spends her leisure time in all possible well-known casinos in the world. One of the most memorable songs from Lady Gaga’s albums is “Poker Face”. It became the best-selling single of 2009. If you pay attention to the text, you will notice that a lot of terms related to gambling are used as metaphors. The lyrical heroine acts against her lover. Without a love of gambling, she would not have been able to create such a masterpiece. This is how Lady Gaga popularized her hobby. So it might inspire celebrities to do something great and unforgettable. The above track is not a song that is forgotten after a year, many fans listen to it many years later.
Leonardo DiCaprio is not only a successful actor and environmentalist. In his free time, he likes to gamble. His name was popping up in reports of illegal underground parties, but so far, the actor has managed to get away with it. He was a member of the Hollywood “Secret Society” along with Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. Celebrity winnings were measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars. It became known about the tournaments after the creator of the financial pyramid Bradley Raderman came to the attention of the California police. He lost the capital of the clients of his own investment fund. That’s why he was convicted for 6 years. The FBI has no claims against Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, or Matt Damon. At the same time, DiCaprio promised to quit with cards not so long ago. According to eyewitnesses, he is a cautious and nervous player, he behaves like crazy if he loses 50 thousand dollars, that is nothing for him. But Matt Damon almost never won, despite the fact that 13 years ago, he brilliantly reincarnated as a poker cheat. Moreover, Damon took lessons from professionals and played in serious tournaments with his friend Ben Affleck, who is known as an excellent player among famous gamers.
Also, there are other categories of celebrity gamers who can spend hours in a casino and are ready to donate money to charity. One of them is the star of ‘What Happens in Vegas’, Cameron Diaz. She repeatedly publicly admitted that she is addicted to gambling. She became addicted to the casinos thanks to Ellen DeGeneres, who taught the actress how to play Texas Hold’em. However, Cameron Diaz often won various tournaments, and the money she won was donated to children with cancer.
Eva Longoria portrayed Gabrielle Solis in the TV series Desperate Housewives, where she willingly played scenes when the main characters had a poker night. This is not surprising because the actress is a fan of gambling. According to rumors, Eva Longoria and her friend, singer Victoria Beckham, even wanted to open their own casino, but something did not go according to plan. Subsequently, in 2008, she realized this idea thanks to the charitable organization Eva’s Heroes. Since then, as part of the planned events, Eva Longoria has been organizing poker tournaments and transferring all the proceeds to funds that help people with intellectual development problems. It is interesting that various world celebrities participate in these tournaments, and Longoria herself too.
The Hollywood actress and socialite Paris Hilton admits that she has had a huge fortune for a long time, so she could spend money without thinking about the future. Therefore, one of the main entertainments of the superstar is a casino. She wants to test her luck in whatever part of the US she comes to. By the way, once Paris decided to celebrate her birthday in a Las Vegas casino. Then the luck turned to face her, and she was able to win 30 thousand dollars in a blackjack card game. On her page on the social network Instagram, Hilton often talks about addiction and shares tips and interesting stories.
Conclusion
Celebrities are quite risky and are not afraid to lose money. Some of them play just to relax. But not all celebrities admit to their gambling problems. And those who recognize it are trying to get rid of this addiction. So casino games are a new reality that helps to get rid of stress at work and change the atmosphere. It’s an enjoyable hobby that can even become serious for celebrities from all walks of life. Gambling has also made it possible for many fans to fulfill their dream of hanging out with the star at the blackjack tables or near the slot machines.
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