Gambling is an activity which draws a very fine line between fun and addiction.
The thrill of betting on your chances is something that most people like and celebrities are not far away from this adrenaline rush.
Celebrities, unlike ordinary people, can afford to play high stakes and might even get preferential treatment at live casinos more often, than online casinos.
But, there has been a rich history of casinos banning celebrities for their misconduct. In this post, we are going to discuss seven of the most popular cases of casinos banning celebrities.
Celebrities with Gambling Addiction
Retired Basketball Star Allen Iverson
The 11-time NBA All-Star is known for leading the league four different seasons for scoring the highest number of baskets. Known as the ‘The Answer’, Iverson was popular for making the big shots when his team needed him the most. But gambling caught him bad. He is serving multiple bans from multiple casinos, from Atlantic City to Detroit. There has been an incident where the casino paid Iverson a whopping $10,000 for a bet he didn’t even win! Wonder what happened next? Iverson refused to return the amount when the officials asked to do so. He was kicked out. Casino officials told the press that he is often loud and rude to the dealers. Guess who got no ‘answers’ now.
Actor Ben Affleck
Here’s a card counter’s story. Casinos have been very strict with people who are caught counting cards in the premises. Ben Affleck happens to possess acute card counting skills and have even made over $1 million in Vegas. He has been asked to leave the table by Hard Rock casino. They did not, however, bar him from their casino. They just politely ensured that he is not welcomed in their casino in the future. Affleck, when asked about the incident, was very calm and told that he has not been banned by the casino. Instead he’s been asked to leave a blackjack game which hasn’t happened to him for the first time.
Rapper Lil Wayne
Considered as a rap god of Hollywood, Wayne is known for releasing hit albums one after another. His net worth is $150 million and has had a legendary rap career that has spanned over two decades! But, he has been banned from gambling at the Wynn Las Vegas for reasons that are still unknown. Wayne still gets into other casinos like Palms.
Illusionist Derren Brown
Derren Brown has built a career out of doing things that are otherwise considered impossible. If it is impossible, Brown will do it for you. This illusionist however could not pull off the trick of gambling at the Broadway Plaza in the UK. In 2013, Brown was asked to leave the blackjack table as he was suspected of counting cards at the table with his friends. The Broadway Plaza staff did not treat the illusionist roughly and politely asked him to not play.
Socialite Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton, the star of the reality show The Simple Life has made many headlines for legal incidents, one of them coming straight out of Las Vegas Hilton casino owned by her father. Paris has been caught blowing out a lot of money on poker and that her father did not like. She even went all the way to bet her 175,000 Pound Bentley. Wonder what happened to the bet? She lost it. As a result, her father banned her from her own family casino. That’s a first.
The Band One Direction
This UK band was gambling in the US. The band has five under 21 year olds who decided to go gambling at the Palms. The legal casino gambling age in the US is 21. They were caught and kicked out for underage gambling. Well, lack of information got them into trouble as the legal gambling age in the UK is 18.
UFC President Dana White
This one is fun. Dana is worth $400 million dollars and loves to gamble. He usually bets up to $25,000 per hand! Dana is known for winning and has even been considered as the PALMS Undisputed Blackjack Champion. But, the tag didn’t come easy. Dana was not allowed to bet so high and his bets were reduced to $5000. He didn’t like it and decided not to host UFC in Palms. Palms responded by presenting him a $5000 wine. Dana accepted the apology, brought back UFC to Palms, and started betting $25,000 per hand again. One day he won $5 million in a single session but Palms refused to provide carry bags to him. Instead, they handed him ‘walking papers’. Dana and his friends had to carry the money in black garbage bags.
Wrapping Up
Celebrities are people who are given special privileges at almost every place they go. But, the rules are for everyone and probably that’s the reason why these celebrities make the headlines. They just can’t get away with everything. Let us know if you liked this post. We’d love to know what you think about these celebrities.
