Many movie stars have portrayed the lifestyle of celebrities with gambling problems in movies. Some have embodied this role and translated it into real life. We also have some celebrities that make bad decisions while visiting an online casino to go overboard with the bounty they just got from selling a record or starring in a movie.
Having lots of money and the freedom to do whatever you like makes it easy to fall into the trap of losing oneself and getting into the dark hole of gambling addictions. Even for the average Joe, if you’re not careful, you can see yourself spending thousands of dollars trying to beat the house.
So, as we see many celebrities battle this problem, here are 12 of them that have gotten into one trouble or the other because of their gambling problems.
Nelly
If you grew up in the 90s and started listening to music in the early 2000s, Nelly should be one of your favorite acts growing up. He was a superstar with many records that sold for millions. But in 2011, his former promoter, Slim, accused him of wasting all of his money on various gambling activities.
Ben Affleck
If you’re a fan of the DC Comics movie, Batman, and other related superhero movies, you should know Ben Affleck. He has also starred in many other movies. However, in 2001, the star had to go into rehabilitation for his alcohol and gambling problems as it was becoming a massive problem for the star and others around him.
Shannon Elizabeth
American Pie was one of the biggest movie franchises in the early 2000s, and we know that plenty of the stars made lots of money from the movie. Shannon Elizabeth was one of those stars and a notorious poker player. It even got worse as she was rumored to be running a gambling ring of her own.
Micheal Phelps
You might know him from the Olympics hall of fame. Micheal Phelps is one of the biggest names for swimming in the Olympics. The Baltimore star has another life outside, swimming for glory, and it isn’t a pretty one. He was once feared to be developing a gambling addiction by his friends because of his constant gambling activities.
Charles Barkley
The NBA star turned sports analyst is another sports personality that has struggled with gambling addiction. He was reported to have lost around $30 million because of his gambling problems. Over the years, he has tried to make a change, and we hope he beats the addiction.
Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen’s gambling addictions and alcohol problems have never been hidden from the public, and it has cost him plenty of things. The star’s ex-wife, filing the divorce papers, stated that the actor had wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on sports betting. But he has been doing well in the last few years.
Gladys Knight
Thanks to her incredible voice and act, the sensational Soul singer Gladys Knight was dubbed the Empress of Soul. However, she has a dark side to her illustrious career as he wrote that she was hooked on baccarat and sports betting for almost ten years. The details of the addiction were written in her autobiography, Between Each Line of Pain and Glory: My Life Story.
Tobey Maguire
The Spider-Man franchise wouldn’t be what it is today without Tobey Maguire. He was an incredible actor while playing the teenage superhero living in New York. However, away from the on-screen superhero life, Tobey Maguire was an addicted gambler. He was even sued for his participation in an illegal multimillion-dollar gambling ring.
Ray Romano
The Everybody Loves Raymond star might differ from what you think he is. We know he looks innocent and like a stand-up guy, which we like to think he is, but he has a gambling problem, and he revealed that his character Joe Tranelli in the Men of a Certain Age movie was based on his personal experience.
Matt Damon
Matt Damon should be one of the top actors if you love action movies. His acting skills are undoubtedly top-notch, and he kills it every time he is in a movie. We would always love to see where he stars next. However, unfortunately, like many stars on this list, Damon has a gambling problem, and he was reported to be involved in an illegal gambling ring.
Micheal Jordan
Micheal Jordan is one of the best NBA players of all time. Many even tout him to be the greatest of all time. However, his gambling habit tainted his career, as many believed he had to retire in 1993 because of his activities in the gambling world. However, following his successes post NBA, it shouldn’t be a problem for him anymore.
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson starred in one of the best series from the 90s, Baywatch. She became famous from this show, but she has had trouble with gambling, and it got so bad that it led to her getting into a $250,000 poker debt, albeit to a friend.