Top 3 Richest Gamblers in the Word
Professional gamblers, high-spending enthusiasts, and casino whales. Gambling legends have taken and lost their thrones, and many have stayed for good. We have made a complete list of the richest gamblers in the world, taking into consideration everyone who has been known to proactively gamble and make significant money because of it – or in spite of it.
1. Andrew Beal ($14.8 Billion)
Andy Beal founded Beal Financial Corporation, a banking giant with $40 billion+ in assets. Forbes ranked him the 170th wealthiest person globally in 2023. Beal has always had a soft spot for poker. He's dubbed 'Poker’s Biggest Whale' in the poker community.
2. Michael Jordan ($3 Billion)
Basketball superstar Michael Jordan was well-known for his gambling habits during his Chicago Bulls days. Although Jordan seems to have quit high-stakes gambling, he was gambling in the thousands very frequently. The retired sportsman and business mogul left a long-lasting impression in the world of gambling as an all-time great american gambler.
3. William Benter ($1 Billion)
William “Bill” Benter is a gambling legend, responsible for the creation of horse race betting algorithms. His deep understanding of mathematics and horse racing allowed him to develop betting systems that are still used today, capable of predicting the outcomes of horse races. Benter is also known for his philanthropic work, mainly thanks to the Benter Foundation. He’s also a skilled blackjack player.
Richest Gamblers by Game of Choice
Over the years, we have seen the rise and fall of many gamblers. Those who managed to stay at the top have cemented their status as all-time legends, while many of the fallen have been swept like waves by the annals of history.
Among the richest and most prominent gamblers to have ever lived, we find the following names:
- Richest Poker Player: Andrew Beal
- Richest Sports Gambler: Michael Jordan
- Most Famous Gambler: Kerry Packer (deceased)
Fun Facts about Wealthy Gamblers
Let’s take a look at some fun facts and curious pieces of information that the richest gamblers in the world, and throughout history, have gifted us:
- Bill Benter was banned from Las Vegas because of his card-counting skills.
- Infamous gambler Howard Lederer was a member of the Poker Player’s Alliance board of directors before the collapse of Full Tilt Poker.
- Poker legend Phil Ivey was known as “No Home Jerome” when he played in Atlantic City because he rarely left the casino.
- Michael Jordan is known to have wagered hundreds of thousands of dollars with his Chicago Bull and USNT teammates.
- Ray Romano, the actor who starred in the famous sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond”, loves poker – but he admits that he’s not very good at the game!
- Zeljko Ranogajec once won $7.5 million on a keno jackpot, but he spent over $8 million in wagers to achieve it.
- Don Johnson once went into a 12-hour winning streak at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. He won $6 million while he was on a roll.
- Cristiano Ronaldo played poker against Aaron Paul and won $15,000 for the Save the Children charity.
- Daniel Negreanu was voted the world’s most famous poker player by The Hendon Mob.
- Although not confirmed, Dan Bilzerian claims to have won $10.8 million playing poker in a single night!
How We Ranked World's Richest Gamblers?
Although you’ll notice that the world’s richest gamblers are ranked taking into consideration their net worth, there are many factors that were taken into consideration when ranking the world’s richest gamblers. Let’s take a look at them:
- Net worth: The most important factor of our reviews is the net worth of gamblers. It’s the main factor used to determine each gambler’s rank on this page.
- Lifetime earnings: We always look at how much money a gambler has made throughout his career. Since most people partake in non-gambling activities, we try to give you a complete overview of how much money they’ve made by gambling. We do this as long as the information is available.
- Industry impact: People don’t need to gamble full time to be considered among the richest gamblers in the world. After all, and as we often say here at The Casino Wizard, gambling is often just a hobby. Regardless, we look at how big of an impact people have had in the industry when writing our gambler profiles.
- High-stakes gaming: High-profile gamblers are always in the spotlight. We look at how much money these gamblers are spending, or have spent, and tell you about it in our gambler bios.
- Tournament wins: When researching about the bios of highly-skilled poker players, we consider how many tournaments they’ve won, and how many money finishes they have throughout their careers. We let you know of this in our gambler profiles, for your convenience.
- Overall popularity: Most people do something else apart from gambling – even the world’s most famous poker players. We have taken into consideration the overall level of popularity of each person that we’ve talked about, as we know we can offer a unique twist to their bios and tell you information about them that you likely don’t know.
How Did These Gamblers Get Rich?
Different gamblers took different paths that led them towards their legendary statuses. Some got rich by employing techniques to beat the dealer, while others grew their bankroll by being good at different activities like sports, acting, or investing.
The most famous gamblers earned a fortune playing casino games, either by counting cards or by advantage gambling. Famous card counters like Ken Uston and Edward Thorp, the gambler known as the father of card counting, became legends in Las Vegas casinos.
In our list of the world’s richest gamblers, you’ll also find many a professional poker player and sports bettor. Tournaments like the WSOP (World Series of Poker) has seen many high rollers jump into poker stardom.
It doesn’t matter if they’re American, Australian, or Greek; it’s irrelevant whether they play craps, baccarat, or poker. The world's richest gamblers usually leave a lasting impression in casinos like the MGM in Nevada before growing into legends.
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A Complete Overview of the Richest Gamblers in the World!
The Casino Wizard has brought you the ultimate list of the richest gamblers in the world to help you get to know them all, be it as a whole or individually. From poker legends like Phil Ivey to gamblers that wager more money than the rest combined like Kerry Packer, this list gives you an insight to renowned gambling superstars across the globe.
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This is a peer-reviewed article to ensure the article’s quality
This is a peer-reviewed article to ensure the article’s quality