Tales of the World’s Biggest Gamblers

High rollers are an elite group of gamblers who typically place large wagers on casino games. At casinos, they can enjoy a range of perks such as luxury accommodation and credit lines.

High rollers are also members of online casino VIP clubs, which offer them a host of perks. These include bigger deposit bonuses, extra loyalty points, faster withdrawals, priority customer support and exclusive tournament entries.

Robert Gorodetsky

Robert Gorodetsky made a name for himself in Las Vegas’ sports betting world as an outspoken young man with an apparently bottomless bankroll. He donned custom caps featuring “GAMBLR,” high-end watches and luxury cars, while engaging in conversation with professional athletes, women and rappers alike.

He has been dubbed the “future face of sports gambling.” His reckless betting has earned him millions on NFL, NBA, tennis and soccer games – even high school and college matches! Celebrities as well as high net worth individuals (HNWIs) have taken notice of his reckless betting habits.

Recent USA TODAY Sports reports indicate he has been banned from several Las Vegas sports books and casinos after talking to the publication about his alleged connections to NFL star Odell Beckham Jr and an NBA assistant coach. MGM Resorts International and William Hill sports book have both responded by banning him, with further actions expected.

As a teenager, Gorodetsky was suspended from his school for setting up a “gambling hall” and taking students’ money at poker games. He grew up on the North Shore and graduated from New Trier high school.

After college, Gorodetsky worked as a cashier at a local supermarket for some time. Then in 2014, he received $953,000 from an “acclaimed New Jersey ophthalmologist” and told the victim that he intended to invest it in stock market investments.

Prosecutors allege that Gorodetsky began siphoning off investors’ money with promises of impressive returns, then invested it in an extravagant lifestyle including travel, entertainment and luxury cars.

Gorodetsky filed false tax returns in 2016, falsely claiming $10,500 of income when he actually earned much more. But the FBI and Nevada Gaming Commission were alerted to his scam in 2018, prosecutors say, leading to his arrest in January 2020. He has been charged with wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

Charles Barkley

NBA legend Charles Barkley has had a turbulent career. His history of gambling issues may have reached its height, and it appears that he may have reached its limit.

In an interview with ESPN, Barkley revealed that he has lost $10 million through gambling over his career. He also admitted to losing money during a six-hour blackjack session and experiencing increasing losses when betting on sports events.

Over the course of his 16-year NBA career, Barkley represented teams such as Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets. In 1993 he earned himself the title of Most Valuable Player and went on to become an 11-time All-Star.

He was also a member of the USA Olympic “Dream Team” in 1992 and 1996, appearing in commercials for various products after his playing days were over.

After retiring from the NBA in 2004, Barkley went on to become a well-known talk show host and commentator on Turner Network Television’s Inside the NBA program. Throughout his career, Barkley has been renowned for his sense of humor and strong opinions.

But Barkley also has some serious off-the-court issues, including a drunk driving arrest in Arizona. While he has never publicly addressed his gambling issues, Barkley did acknowledge that he has lost a substantial amount of money in the past.

One of Barkley’s favorite stories about his gambling is about when he was set to join the Los Angeles Lakers. He recalls being overjoyed to become a Laker and wanted to celebrate by drinking some alcohol – however, unfortunately for him, he ended up drinking too much and everything fell through.

Paul Karas

Paul Karas is a Greek American gambler from Las Vegas who arrived with only $50. Through gambling, he turned that small sum into an impressive $40 million fortune – marking one of the greatest streaks in casino history.

But then everything went sour, and he eventually lost everything within a matter of months.

He wasn’t unlucky; it’s just that he had an intense addiction to gambling. This addiction cost him a substantial amount of money and eventually led to him going to jail for it.

He had to pay a hefty fine for his gambling addiction, so it’s likely for the best that he stopped.

However, it was an eye-opening experience for him and he realized how unpredictable the casino can be – winning big or losing big. So he made the decision to alter his strategy by beginning playing poker instead.

Over the following months, he was able to build up a substantial bankroll. However, other players soon challenged his progress.

These players included some of the renowned names in poker at that time, such as Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan. But he proved too formidable for them all.

He then turned his attention towards pool, where he quickly built up impressive bankrolls. In fact, he even took out a loan from a friend and doubled its amount within hours!

But when he began playing Razz, his bankroll quickly recovered. He returned the loan to his staker and began honing his skills once more.

He then went on to play high-stakes poker at Binion’s Horseshoe, where he took home $3 million from opponents during these matches.

Kerry Packer

Kerry Packer was an Australian media mogul and one of the wealthiest men in Australia. Born on December 17th 1937 in Sydney, his fortune was inherited from his father Sir Frank Packer. The Packer family’s empire included TV networks, magazines, petrochemicals, telecommunications services and diamond exploration businesses.

World Series Cricket was his creation, an independent cricket competition broadcast on Channel Nine that offered higher salaries to players and revolutionized how the sport was played. He also refinanced Australian Consolidated Press and formed publishing company PBL – becoming one of Australia’s most powerful media empires.

The Packer family legacy is one of gambling, dating back to Kerry’s grandfather Robert Clyde who, after finding ten shillings at a Tasmanian race track, used it to wager on a horse at 12/1 odds and eventually came out victorious. Clyde went on to become an influential newspaper editor and successful businessman.

His gambling addictions took him to many casinos, where he was known to play high stakes poker for short periods of time. Due to these activities, he was banned from several establishments. This posed a significant risk to hotels that hosted him.

According to a Las Vegas Sun article, Packer spent millions of dollars at the Hilton Hotel over the holidays and caused its losses. He also tipped casino dealers a third of his winnings and paid off two cocktail waitresses’ mortgages in six-figure amounts.

He was renowned for his gambling, but he also had a passion for sports and polo. Additionally, he donated AU$2.5 million to the New South Wales ambulance service which equipped all its paramedics with defibrillators. Unfortunately, however, his health eventually caught up to him and he passed away on Boxing Day 2005.

Dan Smith

Dan Smith is an accomplished poker player who has made a living from playing both online and live. His impressive winnings in tournaments have allowed him to rise among the world’s top players, beating it at its highest levels and setting an example for how high rollers can make money from playing poker.

He began playing poker at an early age and has been successful in winning large sums of money on the tournament circuit. His impressive list of wins includes several million dollars in tournaments, with most of his income coming from cash prizes won at live poker events.

In 2012, he had an exceptional year. He won numerous events such as the Aussie Millions and EPT-8 in Monte Carlo, plus earned a substantial sum at WSOP.

This was an exciting year for him and served as an invaluable learning opportunity. He gained valuable insight into the game of rugby and how to play it at its peak performance level.

He began playing poker a few years back, but wasn’t particularly skilled or successful. With plenty of cashes and wins under his belt, he now ranks 7th on the Hendon Mob All Time Money List.

His biggest success came at the Triton Million in London, where he won an incredible $8,765,628. This sum represents one of his largest wins to date.

William Smith

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