Gambling is considered to be a risky venture, but there are individuals who have not only managed to beat the odds, but also amass an astounding wealth through their gambling dexterity.
This article provides the details of the top richest gamblers in the world and the impact they have made in the world of gambling.
List of Richest Gamblers in the World
1. Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer will always be remembered for his gambling skills as he always played big. Packer was known for some staggering bad streaks during which he lost huge sums of money.
During the period from September 1999 to July 2000, he lost around $40 million playing in Crockford’s casino, London and the Bellagio in Las Vegas both.
Kerry Packer’s greatest gambling achievement was when he won $20 million in only 40 minutes by playing various games of $250,000 stake blackjack at once.
2. Tony Bloom
Tony Bloom is a mystery in the world of gambling. He has won around $2.5 million and has played in some huge tournaments including the World Poker Tour and Poker Million IX where he finished second.
He earned himself the nickname “The Lizard” for his cold-blooded style of play at the poker table. He not only earned from poker, but made millions by setting up his own betting consultancy firm, Starlizard.
Starlizard is considered as one of the top betting firms in the world and millions of dollars are bet on the soccer leagues across the globe by it.
3. Bill Benter
Bill Benter started his career by counting cards in Las Vegas before focusing on horse racing in Hong Kong. He along with another gambler, Alan Woods, began building an algorithm that could predict winning chances of a horse with an incredible accuracy.
With a few years of struggle, his model ultimately began to earn him millions of dollars per year. Bill Benter’s most famous win came when his algorithm correctly predicted the Triple Trio, a popular bet in Hong Kong where the players are needed to predict the first three horses to cross the line in three distinct races.
4. Edward Thorp
Edward Thorp is the man who invented card counting. He created a way using his mathematical and technological prowess to overturn the house advantage when playing blackjack.
He won $11,000 during his first weekend trying the technique. Edward Thorp’s wealth skyrocketed after he took his gambling skills to the stock market.
5. Alan Woods
Alan Woods and Bill Benter were former partners and he made his money in a similar way. They worked on the same team at one point when they started counting cards.
When the law enforcement started investigating his betting syndicate, he was forced to abscond to the Philippines. He heaped a huge fortune of around half a billion dollars by still betting from his private property.
6. Zeljko Ranogajec
Zeljko Ranogajec used to work with Alan Woods before establishing his own betting syndicate known as the Bankroll. His syndicate is known to place bets worth over $3 billion per year mainly focusing on horse racing. He is also known as “The Joker” because he made money for himself by being a so-called advantage gambler.
7. Billy Walters
Billy Walters is one of the most successful bettors in the history. He used analysis to develop more accurate odds than the bookies, making him win between 56-60% of all bets he placed.
Billy Walters’ lucky streak was broken when he was found guilty of insider trading on the stock market. He was sentenced to five years in prison, which he served only four due to pardon by former President Donald Trump.
8. David Walsh
David Walsh involved in gambling during his time at the University of Tasmania when he counted cards. There he met fellow student Zeljko Ranogajec and they decided to try their luck playing blackjack in Las Vegas.
David Walsh once bought lottery tickets worth $11 million to win a $60 million jackpot. Currently, he commits his most of the time to the underground art museum which he has built in Tasmania.
Also read: Top 10 Richest Poker Players in the World
