There are many famous gamblers around the world and Texas Hold’em has probably raised the profile of many more. Nothing beats the antics of this fistful of infamous celebrity gamblers – they became celebrities not because of their good deeds, but because they dared to try and ‘work’ the systems. Too bad their final rewards were steel bars.

Many cheating attempts are undertaken as part of a team and invariably involve an employee of the casino – often the dealer. This first group of infamous celebrity gamblers came to the attentions of authorities after winning large sums on the roulette. Their ploy was simple but soon picked up by video surveillance. The croupier involved would palm a high value chip and while placing the winning peg would drop the chip on the winning number. As usual, greed got the better of them and they simply one to much and too many times.

Cameras and other electronic devices have always been popular and this trio of infamous celebrity gamblers found that nine months behind bars was their big jackpot after using cameras at games of three card poker. Touring the casinos in and around London, they used cameras to film cards as they were dealt. The images were sent to a third person in a van outside the casino. After reviewing the various footage, he would advise them how much to bet. Again, greed was their undoing.

Then their is the simple card counting story where six MIT students took the Vegas casino strip for hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was said that when arrested, one of the six had Fifty thousand dollars strapped to each thigh. A hundred thousand dollars, in 10 bricks of hundreds, taped across his upper back and fifty thousand more Velcro to his chest. This time, bragging was said to be their undoing.

Nothing quite beats this last duo who decided to take on an Australian casino at mini baccarat. They managed to remove one of the cards from the play table. Knowing the value of the card significantly improved their odds and they managed to fleece a cool $700,000 before being discovered.

The moral from the infamous celebrity gamblers seems to be that greed will always out you and that eventually, the casinos will cotton on to you and the steel bars of prison await. They make great reading though.

It seems that gambling, particularly horse racing can get the best of us. A young aspiring actress from a very popular US TV series has admitted to enjoying the thrills of horse racing.

Having finished a filming stint in Australia, she visited the Melbourne spring carnival and the Melbourne Cup where she was a guest presenter. It seems she got rather caught up in the action and like many first time punters, actually won.

Having enjoyed the action (and a wager or two), she continued her regular trips to the track on her return to the States. The bug had bitten. She also admits to enjoying time out at casinos where her favorite past time is watching the action at the roulette table. ‘I am not addicted – yet’ she said. “just love the time out and relaxation it provides’. She also felt it was a ‘great way to shrug off the stress from a heavy filming schedule’.

You don’t have to be rich and famous to enjoy the action of sports betting, horse racing or online casinos. You do need the very best in current information and the only place to find that on a regular basis is through UK Betting Central. You may not find too many celebrity gamblers – but then again – you never know.

Would you recognise hand-blown Murano glass if you saw it? Probably not. But if you were in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, it wouldn’t surprise you to learn that the chandelier in the poker room is made from that – even if you’ve never heard of Murano glass before!

That’s not the only kind of special glittery thing you might see there. Demi Moore, Matt Damon, Alex Rodriguez and other well known stars often grace the place with their presence. They are just a few of the many celebrity gamblers who love places like Las Vegas, and who can afford to feed their passion there.

President and CEO of the American Gaming Association, Frank Fahernkopf, reckons:

“When celebrities are deciding where they want to go gambling, they usually stick to places which are upscale and where there are other things to do besides gamble. They also tend to stick close to home, since these getaways are generally shorter than other kinds of vacations.”

This usually means Las Vegas. If you’re a celebrity sitting in Hollywood, it’s only an hour’s flight away. And of course, Las Vegas offers so much more than pure gambling. There are all the many top notch restaurants for a start. Then there’s the busy nightlife with clubs galore.

If you are a celebrity with money to burn, Las Vegas is definitely the place to be in. But if you are a mere mortal like the majority of us, then there’s always UK Betting Central where the online action gets really hot!

Everyone loves to see a famous person gambling – and winning. Come to think of it, they would probably enjoy seeing them losing too, though I guess the image is a more cool one when they are seen to be on the winning side.

Who are the celebrity gamblers? Well, there are many. Some more famous and bigger celebrities than others, but what they share is a passion for gambling. Let’s face it. These people make more money in a day than most of us make in a month! They can afford to have a flutter occasionally – or even regularly!

George Clooney who used to star in ER is one avid gambling fan. He is often in Las Vegas and of course he starred in Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12 – both movies about the Vegas gambling scene. He is alsl the co-owner of a casino and hotel complex called Las Ramblas.

Ben Afleck is another celebrity gambler. He is one serious dude when it comes to gambling. And reportedly he is good too. Ben has played in poker championships and was in the 2005 World Poker Tour Championship.

Matt Damon who also starred in Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12 is another celebrity gambler. Matt, like Ben, is extremely passionate about playing poker, and he’s good too.

But you don’t have to be a celebrity to play poker. You don’t have to be anything in fact. Just head over to UK Betting Central and see what thye have to offer.

Famous personalities and celebrities also have their share of taking time out to gamble. Celebrity gamblers are spread all over Las Vegas but are obviously given the special treatment and separate private rooms so that they are not caught up being swarmed and disturbed by other people who often want to catch a glimpse of them.

Celebrity gamblers bring in the big names as well. Just consider these names who you can find in Sin City casinos such as The Palms and the Bellagio. They will be always to gamble or unwind there.

1. Demi Moore
2. Ben Affleck
3. Matt Damon
4. Alex Rodriguez
5. Bruce Willis

Big names who play the big games. There are a lot of other celebrity gamblers to the list. Not all of them visit Vegas to gamble as they may opt to dine or simply enjoy the posh services available in leading hotels with casino around Sin City. So don’t be surprised if you happen to bump into famous celebrities who may find time to gamble in the same premises but surely not around you.

“When celebrities are deciding where they want to go gambling, they usually stick to places which are upscale and where there are other things to do besides gamble,” says Frank Fahernkopf, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “They also tend to stick close to home, since these getaways are generally shorter than other kinds of vacations.” – Source: Forbes.com

Can you name any famous celebrity gamblers? I bet we can. Just a few:

• Jennifer Tilly
• George Clooney
• Matt Damon
• Matthew Perry
• Ben Affleck
• Tobey Maguire

OK, before we interrupt this message from our sponsors to bring you the real show, let’s just stop right here to pass around some awards. The sexiest famous celebrity gambler is without a doubt Jennifer Tilly. I mean, really, did you expect us to say otherwise? If we were to give the award out to a dude we’d vote George Clooney, but why would we do that?

Tobey Maguire wins the Best Superhero Poker Player award. As far as we know, he’s the only superhero who plays poker. Oh, wait! Clooney was Batman! Well, suffice it to say that Spiderman could kick Batman’s ass any day of the week. In fact, word has it that Tobey Maguire has regular poker parties at his pad in Hollywood. He’s beat up on such legendary stars as Dennis Hopper, Robert Downey Jr., Sharon Stone, and Matthew Perry. Who wouldn’t want to beat up on Sharon Stone and Robert Downey Jr.?

Matthew Perry wins the funniest celebrity gambler award. Yep, Perry’s funny even for an American. Nowhere near the skill level of Maguire or Tilly (how, she’s not just a babe; she’s a tournament winning babe!), Perry is known for receiving VIP treatment at the casinos.

Matt Damon may be the only celebrity gambler who has actually played a gambler in the movies. And he gets the best celebrity gambler-actor award. If we were inclined that way we’d say he’s a hottie. OK, we’ll say it – he’s a hottie!

Ben Affleck is perhaps the most over rated celebrity gambler. But he still wins. Who’d figure? Affleck win at poker.

You may not be a celebrity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your game on. Go to Online Betting UK to find the best online gambling hot spots.

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