If you ever spot a celebrity in a land-based casino, chances are they won’t be feeding a row of slot machines. They are more likely to be in a poker room, at a blackjack table, or tucked away behind a velvet rope where phones are discouraged and the lighting is kinder. While many factors make casino table games the most suitable option for those constantly in the public eye, what is it that actually drives celebrities to choose card games over slots?
Most casino play now happens online, and that’s where slots dominate. They’re fast, simple, and made for short sessions, with promos like ‘Deposit £10 Get Free Spins’ at UK platforms that let a casual player add a little extra play.
Having said that, celebrities who turn up at land-based casinos get special treatment and you won’t find them playing the penny slots. Think more of the high-stakes, private rooms where celebrities get their seats.
Stars and Card Games
Stars gravitate towards card games in casinos for practical reasons. A table gives them structure and space: a dealer controls the pace, a hand has a clear start and end, and staff can keep onlookers at a distance or move the game into a private room. Cards also offer real decisions. Blackjack rewards correct choices, and poker puts you up against other players rather than a machine, which matters when the stakes climb and every session can swing hard either direction. The setting helps too: a proper table, trained dealers, and a quieter, more controlled atmosphere suit people who don’t want to become part of the floor show. Let’s look at a few examples.
Dana White
The head of the UFC MMA organisation, Dana White, is a celebrity who knows what it feels like to get banned from a Las Vegas casino. He was banned from the Palms after winning huge sums of money. That’s one of many famous stories of White and his exploits in high-stakes blackjack.
Once the casino changed ownership, he did go back and won another $1.6 million in a session before being gently told not to come back once again. It was more of a polite removal the second time around, as the casino handed him a UFC-style championship belt, denoting that he was a champion blackjack player. Whatever you think of the numbers, the constant detail is the same: he shows up for blackjack, not slots.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan has previously suggested that White might have won as much as $7 billion at various locations around Las Vegas. But naturally, there have been losses along the way too, both on the blackjack table and from sports betting, including a famous $1 million boxing bet loss. But he is a highly-skilled blackjack master, who reportedly hands out some very nice tips to staff.
Mr Beast
Another celebrity who has been seen playing cards in a casino is Mr Beast. In 2022, the YouTube star, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, took part in a Hustler Casino livestream and played against well-known professionals such as Tom Dwan and Phil Hellmuth.
The 8-plus hour event was streamed live on YouTube and quickly went viral as Mr Beast and other streaming stars like Ninja and star chess player Alexandra Botez took on the pros. Donaldson ended the night up around $430k after being down early on and was second only to Botez’s winning tally on the night.
Ben Affleck
Hollywood actors are also regular sights in Las Vegas casinos, and by now it’s no surprise that many of them gravitate towards card tables as well. One example is actor and keen gambler Ben Affleck, who still turns up at casino tables, just not at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Back in 2014, Affleck was banned from playing blackjack at the Hard Rock Casino, but he has still been seen sitting in for tournaments in other venues.
Affleck has been trained in poker and has been successful in it, but is also a skilled blackjack player according to the man himself. He took the time to study and learn the game and the wins started coming for him as his skill levels rose.
In 2001, The Post reported at the time that Affleck won around $140,000 in a single sitting at the Hard Rock Casino while playing alongside his friend Matt Damon. Larger figures — including a reported $800,000 win — were also mentioned in media coverage, but those amounts were never independently confirmed. The 2014 incident, where Affleck was once again winning consistently, led the casino to bar him from blackjack play, citing suspected card counting rather than issuing a full casino ban.
Who Else Plays Cards?
The list of celebrities seen in casinos is long, but the same names come up again and again around card tables. Actors such as Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio have been linked with poker circles, while Kevin Hart and Matt Damon have both been spotted at major poker events. Footballer Neymar Jr is also known for his interest in poker and has appeared in tournaments. Different careers, same pattern: when these people are seen gambling in public, it’s usually at a poker or blackjack table, not wandering between games on the main floor.