It’s easy to assume that gambling is a pastime reserved for your Average Joe, but celebrities love to head to casinos and place bets. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the reasons why.
They’ve got stacks of cash
If you’ve got tens of millions of dollars lying around in your back pocket, the chances are that you’re going to run out of things to buy pretty quickly. A-List celebrities don’t play blackjack to increase their bank balances – they do it because they can. Modern casinos in Vegas, for example, have an air of exclusivity and glamour to them, and so it’s natural that wealthy celebs would want to get involved and place a couple of bets. Whether they win or go home $100k lighter doesn’t really matter – it’s all about having a good time, and the status involved.
Make more money
That’s not the case for every celebrity, though. Some are hungry for more money and turn to gambling as a fun way to build up their bank balances. Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to win when you place a bet, but celebrities’ egos often encourage them to put it all on red and hope for the best. Sometimes, that can work in their favor – Philip Green, the British chairman of the Arcadia Group, for example, won £2 million when he played a game of roulette at Les Ambassadeurs in Mayfair. With a net worth of £3.5 billion, that’s nothing to someone like Green, but if there’s money to be made, they’re as sure as hell gonna make it!
They’re uber-competitive
Whether it’s a game on the fruit machines, poker, blackjack or craps, gambling is all about the taking part – and competing against other players, or the casino itself. The truth is that gambling gives you a rush – especially if you max out and score. Celebrities want to feel like they’re winning because that’s what they’re used to. That’s even more true for child stars and celebrities who’ve lost their fame and status – winning in the casino gives them that high.
Too much downtime
When stars are on set filming movies or waiting to go on stage, they get bored pretty quickly. Lady Gaga can’t walk down the street to explore local culture without getting mobbed, so she stays in her trailer or hotel room and relaxes with her loved ones. One of the best things about gambling is that you can now gamble on your phone and have a flutter whatever you are up to. Some of the world’s biggest stars are reportedly obsessed with online gambling.
To get into a role
According to some reports, Matt Damon started gambling to get into character for his role as Mike McDermott in the movie Rounders – a brilliant film on poker that you should add to your watch list. Damon soon picked up the habits and became a fan – and he’s certainly not the only one. The Gambler, 21, Owning Mahowny, Rounders, Casino, California Split, and Missipsi Grind star some of the world’s most famous faces. Give them a watch and you’ll soon see that they needed to know their stuff to pull off their characters. And boy did they!