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Many of us would love to spend a day in the life of a celebrity, enjoying all of the glitz and glamour, huge Hollywood mansions and exotic holidays.
Nevertheless, many celebrities are pretty average, too, perhaps just making it big thanks to a great career break. This means the majority of them enjoy the same hobbies and interests as us ‘normal’ folk (when they aren’t on their sell-out arena tour or filming their next Oscar-winning performance, of course).
Some celebs might travel somewhere new, take part in their favourite sport or curl up with a new book. But there is one hobby that’s proving to be extremely popular amongst these A-list stars – visiting a casino.
A lot of celebrities enjoy playing a variety of casino games. And the only difference between them and us is that they don’t always need to have a limit on how much they’re betting. That’s why you’ll find many high-rolling celebrities, some of which are better than others!
Below, we’ll take a look at some of the most famous faces you’ll often find in a casino or bingo hall:
1. Ben Affleck
We have to start this list with Ben because, well, he’s arguably one of the best poker-playing celebrities going. In fact, the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas even banned Affleck because, in their words, he was ‘too good’.
Throughout his career as an award-winning actor, director and writer, Affleck has drummed up plenty of profits on the casino table, too. Some resources even claim that, while he was playing 21 at the Hard Rock Casino, he racked up a rather impressive $1 million – in just two visits! He’s also known for playing poker and blackjack.
In 2004, Affleck went on to win the California State Poker Championship, taking home the $350,000 prize. What’s more, Affleck’s also got his very own high-profile wingman – Matt Damon.
2. Matt Damon
When you’ve got Ben Affleck by your side in the casino, there’s not much that can go wrong, which is why this star-studded duo reportedly walked away with $140,000 after a single sitting in a casino. Not afraid of entering competitions, either, Damon also took part in the World Series of Poker in 2009 and 2010.
But what’s perhaps most interesting about Damon is how his passion as a gambler started. Having been signed up to play the lead role in Rounders, Damon needed to get to grips with his character – a reformed gambler. So, he took it upon himself to gain some experience at the poker table, spending $25,000 in the process. Now that’s dedication to your work!
3. Kate Moss
You won’t just find celebrities gracing the casino, as some prefer to take a trip to their local bingo hall.
And one of the celebs who love bingo is Kate Moss. Following her divorce from Jamie Hince, Moss hung up her rock n’ roll cap in favour of a game or two of bingo on a Saturday night. Often seen visiting bingo halls with Sadie Frost, Moss has truly embraced her family side – but without losing out on any fun. Frost and Moss frequently host family bingo nights that allow them to let their hair down and spend quality time with their loved ones.
4. Elizabeth Shannon
Another celebrity who’s now famous for her love of the casino is Elizabeth Shannon, who was previously known for playing the part of Nadia in the American Pie films. However, following this illustrious career, Shannon made a name for herself in the poker scene by coming third in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship in 2007.
Following this breakthrough in her ‘poker career’, Shannon is often a favoured host for other events, with her reporting at the Seminole Hard Rock Open in 2014. She also came 165th in this tournament.
5. Cristiano Ronaldo
Even though you may have seen Ronaldo advertising various casino sites in his time, he’s not on this list for his love of poker. Rather, it appears Ronaldo has a fondness for bingo. And the reason for this is quite intriguing!
In 2003, he moved from his club in Lisbon to Manchester United, but he struggled to communicate with his then boss, Alex Ferguson. So how did he opt to improve this?
He turned to bingo – of course!
Aged 22, it’s reported that Ronaldo received a DVD bingo game for Christmas, and this helped him grasp basic words and phrases in English. Subsequently, it also fuelled his passion for the game, with him deeming the game ‘very exciting’.
Just like us, all of these celebs love to get involved in a spot of bingo or a poker tournament or two. However, even though this makes them appear more down to earth than before, they still hold some advantages over us – being able to up the ante or, for the actors, getting their ‘poker face’ just right.
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