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The excitement, thrill, and tantalizing unknown of music and gambling—the stage and the casino floor can often form a common lure. In this article, we explore this exciting meeting point as we delve into the beautiful tales of famous artists who marched away from the limelight into the world of chance. These entertainers bring their fame and stories of triumph, struggle, and personal growth from the strategic poker tables to the glitzy slots of Las Vegas. In that vein, let’s look at how the lure of high-stakes gambling has been inextricably part of the lives of music’s biggest names, helping illuminate the profound ways gambling has influenced their lives on and off the stage.
Madonna
In 2012, Madonna, the iconic pop queen, demonstrated her philanthropic spirit when she took second prize in Italy’s SuperEnaLotto. That year, she went on her world tour and bought 100 tickets for the draw. She remarkably won $130,000 and happily put it towards building a school in Malawi, as she had adopted four kids from there. Living in the US, where SuperEnaLotto tickets are not on sale, Madonna keeps the notion of her roots alive by playing the lottery online: a touch of Italian blood through her paternal grandparents. Instead, she uses a messenger service to purchase tickets, getting her involved with her Italian roots and supporting noble causes globally.
Lemmy
The legendary lead singer and bassist of Motörhead, Ian, who everyone calls ‘Lemmy,’ embraced a connection to the gambling world, so much it is immortalized in the song ‘Ace Of Spades.’ Lemmy described the track as a crafty wordplay exercise mixing the quintessential clichés of gambling. Lemmy had been known for his ‘live fast and die young’ attitude, and his affinity for slot machines was a big part of his lifestyle. A little mystery about his persona was added by a rumor he never confirmed that his monicker ‘Lemmy’ comes from ‘lend me some money,’ where ‘lend me’ is slurred to ‘Lemmy.’ Just a fitting tribute to Lemmy’s legacy, a Motörhead slot machine from NetEnt was released onto the gambling world in 2016 to cement the band’s bond with the gambling world.
Gladys Knight
From the late 1940s, Gladys Knight celebrated singing in church choirs as an influential music force known as the ‘Empress of Soul.’ Not only did she have a staggering 22 Grammy nominations (and seven wins) with ‘The Pips.’ As a solo artist, that’s a lot of achievement! But, in the early 1980s in Las Vegas, Gladys overcame a personal challenge when her gambling addiction became known. A friend introduced her to blackjack, but her small staking play quickly escalated into a full-blown addiction, a painful divorce, and financial strain. She turned her life around after losing $60,000 on one session, contacting Gamblers Anonymous, and starting to recover from her compulsion. Gladys writes in her autobiography, ‘Between Each Line of Pain and Glory,’ explaining how pit bosses and dealers became part of her social circle, and casinos offered a refuge from the prying eyes of paparazzi and scammers.
Frank Sinatra
A legendary man of both music and film, Frank Sinatra churned out over 150 million records and performed in more than 50 films. Sinatra was more than just a famed singer; he lived his life surrounding himself with gambling and occasional ties to the mafia. In the 1950s, he moved to Las Vegas, where he lived his love for the thrill of the game. In one famous incident at the Sands Hotel and Casino in 1967, he was alleged to have lost $500,000, stolen a golf cart, crashed it into the cake’s glass doors, and tried to set the curtains on fire. Sinatra wasn’t satisfied with just participating; he brushed those bounds aside and purchased his gambling establishment, the Cal Neva Lodge and Casino, in 1960, a first step in cementing his place in Las Vegas history.
Sean Puff Daddy’
Sean ‘Puff Daddy’ is also well known for his dynamic rapping career, but he has also made an impact as a producer serving top artists such as Notorious B.I.G and Usher. He is also known for his love of the blackjack game and his musical endeavors. He has a passion for the game that sends him hopping off to Las Vegas, and some even say he asks for blackjack tables set up backstage. In 2002, this love for the game was displayed as he was ‘invited’ to Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City to open up the casino’s lavish new Blackjack tables officially. Today, it was not just his stage presence that mesmerized an audience, but he also was the first man to go head to head against the dealer at newly inaugurated tables, making him, much like ever, a part of the gambling world.
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., known as Nelly, the Grammy-winning rapper, has cultivated his own identity as much in the world of music as in poker. Unlike so many drawn to games of chance, Nelly prefers the strategic depths of Texas Hold’em poker. He loves the game so much that he has played in all the major tournaments: the World Series of Poker, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, and the PokerStars European Poker Tour. That’s when Nelly’s competitive spirit bit him, even making headlines when a tape of a heated moment with an opponent at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut led to them exchanging some words, and the one telling Nelly to ‘get under my nuts’ went viral.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga, the pop icon who made fans go wild over her smash hit ‘Poker Face,’ the aptly named song was timed to refer to the world of poker cleverly. This is a lyrical connection and a link to her sweet spot with the game. Gaga is frequently seen playing poker in the busy casinos of Las Vegas, not for big money, but for fun or as a way of taking some time out to spend with friends. For her, poker is about the fun, camaraderie, and thrill; the outcome is secondary: she is playful and relaxed about the game.
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson, better known as 50 Cent, has never shied away from the spotlight, whether it be his successful music career or his often-made public ups and downs financially (a high-profile bankruptcy of 2015 among them). Perhaps best known for his large sports bets (and lost same), 50 Cent dropped $500,000 on the New York Giants versus the San Francisco 49ers in the 2012 NFC Championship and, yes, a hair-raising $1.6 million on a Floyd Mayweather victory over Manny Pacquiao in 2015. He’s even developed an affinity for blackjack, so he launched a blackjack online social game on Facebook, where fans could play with his love for the game. He added to his gambling anecdotes with an Instagram upload early in 2016 of a Powerball ticket he had triggered three of five numbers (have not won the jackpot, though).