Roulette is one of the world’s favorite casino games – and that applies to celebrities, as well. Famous faces can often be seen sitting around Roulette tables in casino hotspots, like Las Vegas and Monte Carlo, for example. However, due to the global coronavirus pandemic, our chances of pulling up a pew next to one of favourite celebs are pretty much non-existent. Luckily, we can still play Roulette here, thanks to the internet and online casinos. Anyway, read on as we take a look at some famous faces who have tried their hand at Roulette.
Mike Ashley
Controversial billionaire Mike Ashley – who owns Premier League outfit Newcastle United, and retail giant Sports Direct – is known for his love of Roulette. It’s believed that Ashley once placed an eye-watering £480,000 on a single spin at a plush Mayfair casino. The money mogul’s whopping bet was a ‘complete bet’ on the number 17 – meaning he covered every winning combination around his lucky number. Unbelievably, Ashely’s number rolled in first time and he walked away over £1 million up. Afterwards, he reportedly told the croupier: “That’ll do me, thanks very much,” and left the establishment to a round of applause from fellow punters. Very James Bond!
Harry Styles
One Direction star, turned solo artist, Harry Styles is also known to be a keen gambler. Styles was pictured playing the age-old classic at the Pearl Room casino in Perth, Australia – where eyewitnesses claimed he gambled ‘large amounts of money.’ The 26-year-old even boasts a ‘17Black’ tattoo on his left shoulder, with the tattooist Kevin Paul telling GQ that it is, in fact, in relation to his gambling blowout in Perth. “Basically, Harry lost money gambling – I think it was in Australia – and he lost it on 17 black. This was in the early days, the first few years of One Direction.” The ‘Watermelon Sugar’ singer, along with his former band mates, were also told off by their management for excessive gambling in Las Vegas just after they turned 18. “Let’s just say it got a bit ugly and a lot of money was lost. A lot. When our management found out, we got a serious dressing down about it,” Niall Horan said.
Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming – who is the creator of iconic British super-spy James Bond – was also an avid Roulette player – as is Bond! Fleming’s writing portrays his knowledge of casino games, and the London author even created his own high-stakes strategy for 007 – which he often used himself. In the 1960s, Fleming described the strategy as “the only way of gambling with a capital of ten pounds with a reasonable prospect of making the price of a good dinner.”
Derren Brown
In 2009, English mentalist Derren Brown lost an eye-watering amount on a single spin – albeit as part of a television series called ‘The Events.’ Brown headed to a casino with £5,000 in his pocket, and instead of upping his chances with one of the 50/50 betting options, like red or black, he placed it all on a single number! The illusion artist claimed that he could use physics to pinpoint the precise location in which the ball would drop. Three seconds after the wheel starter spinning, Brown lumped the £5k on the number 30, and, agonisingly, however, the ball dropped into the number eight – just one slot away from his predicted 30. Ouch!
