Many celebrities enjoy gambling at brick-and-mortar casinos. Matt Damon’s role in the movie Rounders introduced him to high-stakes poker and the actor is seen playing at celebrity poker events and charity tournaments. Tobey Maguire is so good at poker he has participated in World Series of Poker events.
Tiger Woods, George Clooney, and Michael Jordan are other gambling enthusiasts. None of the above celebrities have been banned from casinos but this isn’t the case for those who appear on the list below.
Ben Affleck
In 2014, famous actor Ben Affleck was accused of counting cards at a blackjack table for high rollers in Las Vegas. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino banned him for life from playing blackjack at its tables. Affleck admitted that he took a while to learn the game before becoming a decent player and this is when he was banned. Card counting doesn’t always help you to win, but it can give you better odds. It isn’t technically illegal but most casinos discourage it.
It is unlikely that online casinos will ban you from counting cards, because card counting is nearly impossible online in most cases. This is even the case when playing live dealer blackjack. If you do manage to count cards successfully, winning all the time will be hard for online casinos to miss. They may restrict your bets or close your online account.
Derren Brown
The famous illusionist known for his card tricks has been banned from various casinos in the U.K. His ability to manipulate probability is seen by them as giving him an unfair advantage in games like blackjack. Even though he posted a YouTube video demonstrating how he wins, openly displaying his skills on social media didn’t change their minds. Today, the use of AI videos can help celebrities like Brown create short, attention-grabbing videos for platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
When Derren first started playing in casinos, he slowly and gradually built up a reputation for betting small amounts but always winning. Operators were starting to notice and slowly he wasn’t allowed through the doors of more and more casinos. When he scored a show with a popular TV network, he put his casino days behind him.
Dana White
The present of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) isn’t only able to find talented fighters but is also a skillful gambler. He tends to wager large amounts on sports. He was banned from the Palms Casino twice due to huge wins while playing blackjack. His first ban was in 2012.
He returned in 2014 and cashed in over $2 million which caused the casino to ban him for a second time. He said it’s not so much that he has been banned but that casinos don’t want to give him the limits he wants and won’t let him bet as much as he wants to because they don’t like to lose.
Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson is a former NBA star who was banned from Detroit casinos for another reason than winning too often. During his career in Philadelphia, he went to casinos whenever he had time to party and gamble. The star was a bad loser and he lost more than he won. He would react to a loss by throwing chips at the dealer. The staff and other players also experienced rude and boorish behavior from him.
Celebrities frequently make headlines, though not always for positive reasons. Sean Combs, also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, became one of the most hated celebrities in 2024.
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton is a famous socialite and businesswoman. Her lifestyle includes gambling at top casinos. She even won $30,000 at a Las Vegas casino playing blackjack. In 2010, she was banned from going into the Wynn Las Vegas because she was suspected of having cocaine in her purse.
The ban was lifted after she paid a fine and completed community service. Paris is currently a brand ambassador for Wow Vegas. It is one of the leading social casino brands. A number of other celebrities also promote online casinos such as Drake, DJ Khaled, and Michael Phelps.
