10 Celebrities Who are Notorious Gamblers

While a weekend in Vegas or an evening in the casino on a cruise ship is fine, a visit to the Kentucky Derby for mint juleps and a little horse betting, and even the NCAA college football pool in which I participate this time every year is just fine, some people have serious gambling addictions. It’s serious because it’s a job to them; it’s not just in fun. Some people lose it all betting and gambling; their life savings, their homes, their families – everything. Many believe just the poor or ‘average’ man or woman is prone to gambling addictions, it’s not the case. Even some of the world’s wealthiest men and women, celebrities even, are addicted to gambling, and it costs them more than they are willing to admit. Read on to find out which of your favorite celebs are notorious gamblers that might border on the line of addictive.

Matt Damon

What’s shocking about him is that he’s such a good guy. He’s such a family man. He likes to be with his wife and his daughters, and he likes to stay out of the press. So the fact that he was part of a multi-million dollar gambling ring that played in high-end hotels and private homes of the world’s wealthiest men and women is astounding. What’s even more astounding is that he was sued for it. What’s even more astounding is that this also involved two of his very famous friends, Toby Maguire and Ben Affleck, both of whom are on this list.

Tobey Maguire

Remember him from Spiderman? The soft-spoken, not very outgoing actor that seemed so sweet and innocent? Yes, he’s an addicted gambler. In fact, he was sued back in 2011 when he was caught participating in an illegal poker ring that runs in the multi-millions. His addictions have not been good for him, but he’s been very outspoken about them and his love of playing poker on many occasions.

Shannon Elizabeth

If you don’t recognize her name by itself, you definitely recognize her face from “American Pie”. She is such an avid poker player that there are rumors in Hollywood that she runs an illegal poker ring from her home. It’s not been proven but that’s how much she loves to gamble, and some people would consider that a bit of an issue if it really has caused her to begin an illegal gambling ring.

Charles Barkley

He will forever be remembered as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, and that’s why we love him. However, he’s admitted to the press that he has a gambling addiction. He spoke of how his addiction to betting and gambling has cost him more than $10 million to date. You’d think that would be enough to make him realize it is not a profitable adventure to stick with, but he’s still at it. It’s addictive.

Ray Romano

Everybody does love Raymond, but they do not love that he suffers from a serious gambling addiction. He once opened up and stated that the character he played in “Men of a Certain Age,” who was overcoming a gambling addiction was based on his own personal life struggles. No one would have guessed that he had such a gambling problem, but he does. Well, he did; it’s assumed that he’s overcome his issues or at least worked through the most difficult aspect.

Gladys Knight

She is one of the most famous songstresses in the world, and she was addicted to gambling. When she spoke of her addiction in her autobiography, many people were shocked. She doesn’t seem like the betting type, the gambling type, but she is, and she was. She battled her issues for more than 10 years, and she seeks help for her addictions regularly when temptation strikes.

Ben Affleck

Did you know that aside from the fact that his marriage is over and he’s facing allegations of cheating on soon-to-be ex-wife Jennifer Garner with the nanny, Ben Affleck also lived with a gambling addiction? He went to rehab back in 2001 for his gambling and alcohol addictions, and while we have to assume that he’s all right, we can’t be positive.

Michael Jordan

We have some athletes already on this list; some of them very good athletes that will be remembered in the very distant future. These are men whose names everyone knows and will never forget; yet they battle serious personal demons. Michael Jordan is the most famous NBA star of all time. And he has a gambling addiction. Did you know that when he retired back in the early 90s from the game, it was rumored that his retirement was a result of a serious gambling problem that he had back then? We don’t know what happened to him, how he overcame his issues and how he got back on track, but it’s been said his gambling issue was very serious.

Michael Phelps

He’s an Olympic gold medalist and a phenomenal swimmer, and many people fear that he has a gambling addiction. It’s not a big secret that he spends a great deal of time around a table betting, but rumor has it that his ‘fun’ hobby is now more of a dangerous addiction than anything else. Given his recent issues in the press, too, it might drive him to further lose himself in the process.

Charlie Sheen

You know, I’m going to be very honest here and state that if he has a gambling problem, it’s probably the least of his problems. This particular actor is one of the most crazed actors with some of the biggest personal issues I can recall. If he’s gambling, at least he’s not doing anything even more inappropriate. Not that we condone gambling. His ex-wife Denise Richards once told officials in court documents that Sheen spent – at that time – around $20,000 per week on sports bets.

Photos by Getty Images

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