Who are the 6 Biggest Casino Enthusiasts in Hollywood?
Visiting casinos and online gambling are global pastimes, and you can find people who love to frequent casinos or play online platforms in all walks of life. It’s not just the money, it’s the thrill and excitement of the card games or the intensity of poker tournaments that keeps people coming back.
Many Hollywood stars are casino enthusiasts and regularly attend poker tournaments, and are known as high-rollers in everyday life as well – whether that be online pokies at Sky City or a round on the craps table when spotted in Vegas! In this article, we’ll take a look at six notable Hollywood celebrities who are known for their gambling and casino enjoyment.
Ben Affleck is an award-winning actor and has starred in many notable films, such as Pearl Harbour, and he is well-known for playing Batman in the DCEU. What many people do not know, however, is that Affleck is an incredibly talented blackjack player.
We are talking to the point where he has been banned from casinos because people have thought he was counting cards! In 2014, he was reportedly banned from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Vegas. Affleck only plays blackjack, so you will never find him at the roulette table or betting on sports.
When most people think of Ray Romano, they think of the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which ran for nine seasons and included 210 episodes. The show has been praised over the years for its realism and for not being over-the-top or needlessly rude or taxing⎯it is, undoubtedly, Romano’s biggest accomplishment.
After this, he starred in the film Men of a Certain Age, where he played a compulsive gambler. Romano was known to be an avid gambler himself off-screen, and he actually took part in the World Series of Poker! His other betting habits include sports betting when playing golf.
We can all remember Shannon Elizabeth as Nadia in the American Pie films and, despite being a successful actress, she is also well-known for being a top poker player and has competed in a range of tournaments.
Just take a look at one of the most impactful social media platforms in the world, Twitter, and you’ll find photos of her at poker tournaments. Indeed, she is considered one of the best Hollywood poker players, and she has competed in the 2005 World Series of Poker, NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, and various other competitions in Las Vegas.
Interestingly enough, Matt Damon actually played a talented gambler in the 1998 film Rounders. The entire premise of this film, starring Damon, Edward Norton, and John Malkovich, was about an underground high-stakes poker ring and two friends trying to pay off their debts by being “rounders”.
During filming, Damon learned various card skills and began to take an interest in poker. Although he hasn’t participated in any public tournaments, he is well-known for playing in private games for high-stakes money.
Matthew Perry will eternally be remembered as Chandler Bing on the epic Friends sitcom, but within the Hollywood circle, he is known as one of the best poker players there is! Although his career didn’t take off much after Friends, he did star in other TV series and films and has also done a wave of voice acting for video games like Fallout: New Vegas.
Perry has appeared on many poker TV shows, including Celebrity Poker Showdown, and always puts on a good show. He has also been regularly spotted at casinos in the US and one of his favourite haunts is the Bellagio in Vegas.
I will always remember Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker in the original Spiderman films and the absolutely epic Spiderman: No Way Home. These are some of the best superhero films ever produced and I don’t care that many people consider the original Spiderman films to be cheesy! I love them and for me, Maguire is Spiderman!
Despite my Spiderman fanboying, I never knew Toby Maguire was an avid casino enthusiast. Indeed, he has supposedly been involved in illegal high-stakes poker games and often still plays in private rooms for high-stakes. Who would have thought that the quiet and wholesome Peter Parker was actually a hardcore poker fan? Unfortunately, he also has somewhat of a bad reputation for being a bit of a diva when playing poker!
Wow! As you can see, Hollywood is rife with casino enthusiasts, and many celebrities and superstars often frequent casinos and splash out big. Do you think you could keep up with the cash these celebrities spend gambling? Probably not! They have made millions from their careers and dropping a few thousand at a casino or poker tournament is nothing to them!