When Music Meets Luck: The Gambling Habits of Famous Musicians

When Music Meets Luck: The Gambling Habits of Famous Musicians

Being a famous musician comes with a plethora of perks, with money being one of them. Of course, it’s no secret that many superstars like to use this disposable cash to gamble with. And this is nothing new. Rich and famous entertainers have been gambling sick amounts of money away for aeons.

For instance, Frank Sinatra was well-known for frequenting casinos where he would play a variety of games for big bucks. It would seem that the Chairman of the Board wasn’t always a gracious loser. In 1967, he stole a motorised golf cart and crashed through the glass doors of the Sands Hotel and Casino after losing a cool $500,000 at the tables. Let’s look at five other famous musicians who love to gamble.

50 Cent

Rapper 50 Cent is widely known as a big bettor. However, he isn’t as compulsive as some other celebs. We’re not sure if he goes so far as to check with https://match.center/ng/ which recommends the best bookmakers and offers useful betting insights, before placing his big bets, but he does have a reputation for making informed wagers.

It appears that he knew exactly what he was doing when he bet a staggering $1.6 million on his buddy Floyd Mayweather to beat Manny Pacquiao in 2015. He referenced this in his song Do What You Got when he rapped “I lost money when I bet on Roy, won money when I bet on Floyd”.

Ringo Starr

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was often seen in casinos where he would risk obscene amounts of cash at the tables. However, his gambling wasn’t limited to games like blackjack and roulette. Back in 1973, there was a lot of buzz surrounding the possibility of a Beatles reunion. While it would have been an epic and historic event, it simply wasn’t in the cards despite the band reportedly being offered $50 million to play a short 25-minute set.

Well, Ringo knew it was a pipe dream. In fact, he was so sure that it wouldn’t happen that he wagered on it. This easy win was likely more about inside information than luck

P. Diddy

It doesn’t matter if Sean Combs is going by Puff Daddy, Brother Love, Puffy, or P. Diddy, the man loves to gamble. He was only too happy to perform at Harrah’s Atlantic City to celebrate the renovations that had just been completed. However, one of the conditions he set was that he would be the first to play at the new blackjack tables.

P. Diddy doesn’t only play his beloved blackjack at casinos. He is such a blackjack aficionado that he has had blackjack tables set up backstage during his tours. A few hands puts him in the right headspace to perform.

Lemmy

Lemmy Kilmister may have passed away in 2015, but his legend will live on for years to come. One way that the Motörhead frontman will be remembered is through the Motörhead video slot that NetEnt released in 2016. Lemmy is different from most other entries on this list in that he preferred slot machines over table games and other forms of betting.

As an aside, rumour has it that Kilmister earned his “Lemmy” moniker by asking for money. Apparently, Lemmy is a short slang version of “lend me” as in “lend me some money. This machine is about to pay off.”

Gladys Knight

Gladys Knight & the Pips were a major force of R&B through the 60s, 70s, and 80s with hits like I Heard it Through the Grapevine and Midnight Train to Georgia. Gladys started playing casino games like blackjack and baccarat as a way to kill time between performances. Unfortunately, her habit started to spiral out of control by the 1980s.

In addition to a costly divorce and having to pay a million dollars to find her kidnapped son, Gladys was haemorrhaging money at casinos and flirting with financial ruin. It all came to a head when she won $60,000 playing baccarat only to promptly lose it back in the blink of an eye. Realising the severity of her situation, Gladys immediately reached out to Gambler’s Anonymous which helped her quit.

Conclusion

Musicians entertain, but a lot of them do it even when they aren’t on stage. Let’s face it, watching someone play blackjack or baccarat for tens of thousands of dollars or more per hand is highly entertaining. So is hearing about some musician betting big on a sports event like the Super Bowl or World Cup.

With gambling becoming more accessible and socially acceptable, we can count on those famous and rich musicians to continue providing us with thrilling tales from the casino tables. And for us it’s also fun, but we don’t forget the responsible game.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.