Gambling has been one of the oldest and most popular pastimes across the world. Men and women have engaged in it to lose some and win some more. And in the course, there have been a few reputed gamblers who have earned their riches through this sport. With that being said, here are the names of the richest gamblers in the world. Let’s take a look!
#10 Howard Lederer
Net Worth – $60 million
Number ten on the list is Howard Lederer, the older brother of Annie Duke. He has not just made good money being a poker player but has also helped others improve their poker skills. He is the author of several books, has appeared in countless poker shows, hosted a couple of fantasy poker camps, and appeared fourteen times on ‘Poker After Dark.’ He is the actual founder of the now-closed Full Tilt Poker.
#9 Phil Ivey
Net Worth – $100 million
Ivey, a professional player of the game, is fondly called the ‘Tiger Woods of Poker.’ He is one of the richest players in the world. Though he is claimed to be right behind Dan Bilzerian in this matter, the latter’s claims of winning several high-stakes poker games are widely disputed. Ivey found a place in the Poker Hall of Fame in 2017. He is also the youngest poker player to have ten World Series of Poker wins to date.
#8 Billy Walters
Net Worth – $100 million
Walters does not gamble professionally anymore, though his legacy is alive as the legendary bettor at Las Vegas who maintained a winning streak for over thirty years. He worked as a car salesman until 1981 when he decided to quit the job to pursue sports betting on a full-time basis. Later in that era, he became a part of the Computer Group that analyzed the results of different sporting events. Billy Walters still holds the distinction of being the best bettor in the USA.
Read more: Online Sports Betting Guide & Tips
#7 Terry Ramsden
Net Worth – $200 million
Ramsden is essentially an investor who specializes in the business markets of Japan. However, he is also the one to have made a good fortune through horse racing. Ramsden was the 57th richest man in the UK at one point. He started by betting on races with low stakes before buying a company focused on horse betting. The company took three years to deliver a profit of $4.1 billion. But his net worth plummeted when he was arrested for fraud recently.
#6 Dan Bilzerian
Net Worth – $200 million
The source of Bilzerian’s money has been heavily disputed. Though he claims to have earned his money from high-stakes poker games, others believe that it’s all family money. After all, his father used to be a big shot on Wall Street. He was a participant in the World Series of Poker Main Event 2008 but finished in 180th place. He claims that he has given up playing poker against the professionals. But he still participates in private poker games against other amateurs.
#5 Zeljko Ranogajec
Net Worth – AUD 610 million
Ranogajec’s success came from advantage gambling for real money while focussing particularly on blackjack and horse betting. He entered the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2011. He learned card counting while working at casinos. He got so good at it that he was banned from all Australian casinos, which made him move to America and take up card counting in the Vegas casinos. Ultimately, he was banned from all Vegas casinos. So, he went back to Australia and started focusing on horse betting.
#4 Alan Woods
Net Worth – AUD 670 million
Before his demise in 2008, Woods was seen as one of the finest professional gamblers in this world. His high net worth has ensured he still finds his name on lists like this. He started betting with poker but was unsuccessful. Then, he turned to bridge and mastered the technique of card counting from other players. He was a professional blackjack player for three years before going to Hong Kong to take up horse betting with Bill Benter.
Read more: Casino Slots – A Guide to Play and Win Them
#3 Edward Thorp
Net Worth – $800 million
Thorp is an immensely accomplished player of blackjack, along with being the author of “Beat the Dealer.” In his book, he uses math to teach readers how to beat the house advantage with card counting in blackjack. Several successful players of the game, including Bill Benter, have mentioned this book as the secret to their success. After being a successful gambler, Thorp turned to the stock market and found ways to earn money through stock investments. His induction into the Blackjack Hall of Fame came in 2002.
#2 Bill Benter
Net Worth – ~$1 billion
Benter started his journey as a gambler with blackjack before moving on to horse betting. Though he became a highly successful player of the game, he was soon banned from each casino in Vegas after they found out that he was engaging in card counting. He moved to Hong Kong with the late Alan Woods and found the software to predict the winners of horse races.
#1 Tony Bloom
Net Worth – $1.7 billion
Bloom, known as ‘The Lizard’ in betting circles, tops the list for his accomplishments in sports betting and poker. Like many others on the list, his fortune comes from several successful business ventures, though gambling has helped him earn even more. Apart from gambling, Bloom has been highly involved in real estate investments. He even has a few gambling sites to his name. At present, he is the majority shareholder of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, the Belgian football club. He is also the chairman of the Brighton & Hove Albion football club.
The endnote
These gamblers are proof that it is possible to make a fortune through gambling only if one is patient, smart, and strategic about the process. So, have you placed your bets of the day yet?