Most gamblers are happy dropping a couple hundred bucks in a casino or when playing online. A little risk with the chance at a nice financial score is a real thrill for many casino goers around the world.
Some gamblers really up the ante, however, putting huge sums on the line that can even affect a casino’s bottom line. Here’s a look at some of those who are not necessarily the best gamblers in the world, but they have scored some huge wins mixed with success in other areas to become some of the richest gamblers in the world.
Kerry Packer
This Australian media titan was known to make some truly massive wagers. Packer was known to bet millions before his death in 2005.
That included reportedly winning $20 million at the Aladdin Casino’s blackjack tables in London. He also won so much at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas that the casino had to temporarily shut down for lack of cash.
Professional golfer John Daly was at the casino one night when Packer lost more than $8 million. The casino asked for payment in cash. The following day, Packer won $52 million and returned the favor, asking for a cash payout. That left the casino without enough funds to pay players, so the property was forced to close until more cash could be secured.
Tony Bloom
This Australian businessman studied mathematics at the University of Manchester and began his gambling career as a recreational poker player. He later transitioned to bigger tournaments and high-stakes sports and horse race betting.
The billionaire bettor has parlayed his love of gambling into founding the sports betting data analysis firm Starlizard and also is the chairman of the Brighton & Hove Albion English Premier League football club. He also owns shares of several other European clubs.
Edward Thorp
This is the father of card counting who wrote the book Beat the Dealer in 1982. As the name implies, his work proved that savvy card counters could beat the casinos at blackjack. The mathematics professor was the first to accomplish this feat and inspired many to head to the casinos with the goal of cashing in.
Thorp later used some of his math skills in the stock market as a hedge fund manager, continuing his success. Now at age 93, he reportedly has a net worth of around $800 million.
Mattress Mack
They say everything is bigger in Texas and that certainly goes for Houston furniture store owner Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale. For the last decade, he has wagered millions of dollars on sports, usually with six- and seven-figure bets incorporated into promotions for his Gallery Furniture stores.
The results have been some huge wins and some big losses, but customers often benefit with a free mattress when McIngvale cashes in. Win the bet, and the newfound funds help refund customers who have bought a mattress.
Lose a bet and Mack makes some added cash from customers who have visited the stores to purchase a mattress. In 2023, McIngvale bet $7.9 million on the Houston Astros to beat the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship. That didn't happen, but Mack took the loss in stride.
"Sometimes you get rained out, and you don't look back," McIngvale said at the time.
Andy Beal
This billionaire banker based in Dallas, Texas, may not be the best gambler in the world, but gave some of the world’s best poker players a real run for their money in the 2000s.
Beal became a major fan of high-stakes, heads-up limit hold’em in the 2000s and took on some of the biggest names in the game in several matches. He battled a group of poker pros known as “The Corporation,” which included players like Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman, and Phil Ivey.
With bets as high as $200,000, Beal really put some major pressure on members of the group. That included a $13.6 million win over four days in 2006, but some reports say he eventually lost about $50 million. Beal contends that those losses were smaller and the entire story was documented in Michael Craig’s fantastic book The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King.
Archie “The Greek” Karas
This gambling legend passed away in 2024 at age 73 and is remembered to have gone on one of the biggest casino hot streaks in history in 1995. After driving to Las Vegas from his home in Los Angeles with just $50, Karas eventually turned that into $40 million by 1995 with the help of a $10,000 loan.
Born in Greece in 1950, Karas left home at age 15 to work on a cruise ship and later moved to L.A., earning money as a waiter and pool hustler. He soon began playing poker also, but was out of cash by 1992. After heading to Las Vegas, a friend loaned him $10,000 and he began playing high-stakes poker, craps, and other games, running his bankroll up to more than $7 million in three months.
That included playing high-stakes poker, craps, and billiards to eventually reach $40 million. However, it wouldn’t last as his losses began to mount – including dropping $30 million at the baccarat tables. By 1995, all the winnings were gone, but that didn’t seem to phase the Greek.
"You've got to understand something,” he told Cigar Aficionado in 2008. “Money means nothing to me. I don't value it. I've had all the material things I could ever want. Everything. The things I want money can't buy: health, freedom, love, happiness. I don't care about money, so I have no fear. I don't care if I lose it."
Other Big Bettors
Here is a look at a few of some of the other most famous gamblers in history.
- Bill Benter – This professional blackjack card counter and businessman was inspired by Thorpe and went on use his math and computer skills to make millions of dollars betting on horses. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native is considered one of the best gambler in the world and reportedly has a net worth of more than $1.5 billion.
- Billy Walters – Considered to be one of the most successful sports bettors all time, Walters detailed his life as a gambler in the 2024 book Gambler: Secrets of a Life at Risk. That includes winning for 36 straight years and once wagering $3.5 million on the Super Bowl. Walters reveals how he used computer analysis to beat the books for millions of dollars.
- Phil Ivey – This poker legend has more than $53 million in live tournament winnings and is considered one of the most successful poker players in history. The New Jersey native got his start playing poker in Atlantic City casinos and has gone on to win 11 World Series of Poker bracelets. Ivey made news in 2012 for winning millions of dollars at the Borgata casino in Atlantic City and Crockfords Casino in London playing baccarat. He and an accomplice used a technique called “edge sorting” to perceive small imperfections in the backs of playing cards. Much of those funds, however, were eventually lost in lawsuits from the casinos. He remains one of the most famous gamblers in the world.
If this article interests you, explore other topics like blackjack strategy, blackjack side bets, and roulette odds.
