The World’s Richest Gamblers

From rags to riches, there is a select group of gamblers who have gone from having pennies to betting millions. This list features the most famous gamblers who have hit the big time with the help of online casino bonuses with no wagering needed. Although these are incredible stories, please remember to play safely and wager responsibly at all times.

Tony Bloom (£1.7 Billion)

Billionaire gambler Tony Bloom has come a long way since using a fake ID to gamble during his teenage years. After starting in the arcades, Tony went to Manchester University and graduated with a degree in mathematics before focusing his gambling efforts on poker. Shortly after, Bloom began to gamble more frequently on football and horse racing, earning the nickname: Tony “The Lizard” Bloom.

Bloom became so successful as a gambler that he accumulated more than £1 billion worth of winnings. As a loyal fan of Brighton and Hove Albion, he sanctioned the purchase of his boyhood club in 2009. The 50-year-old entrepreneur has also established a specialized betting syndicate that is reported to earn more than £100 million per year in turnover.

This is something that even the most well known and the richest gamblers can appreciate. There are many incredible stories out there about gamblers who rose from humble beginnings to become millionaires. Obviously, these examples are few and are between and the average player needs to control their emotion and wager only within their means. A millionaire cannot be made in one day, as the upcoming stories will reveal.

Bill Benter ($1 Billion)

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Bill Benter studied physics at the Case Western Reserve University and University of Bristol before utilizing his intelligence as a professional gambler. After reading Beat the Dealer by mathematician Edward O. Thorp, Benter became an even better gambler and was eventually banned from every casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

With a net worth of more than $1 billion, Benter settled in Hong Kong in 1984 and transformed a starting stake of $150,000 into millions more. After meeting Alan Woods, who was also a gambler with elite mathematical skills, the pair developed a computer-driven model for selecting winners within the Hong Kong racing market.

Casino Bonuses with No Wagering

For a gambler who is new to an online casino, a no deposit bonus with no wagering requirements can provide a helpful beginning. As you can see, these bonuses provide better chances because they will be available with fewer terms and conditions (T&Cs) to slow things down. Fundamentally, wagering requirements need to be played through and it takes time when clearing 40x or 50x requirements.

While free bonuses are appealing, they can lack volume, which is where deposit bonuses can provide value. By staking more of your own funds, the casino can willingly release higher bonuses. Typically, a deposit bonus will also come with lower wagering requirements, which is a further advantage to consider. Also, a deposit bonus can be used with higher limits on winnings and a wider reach of games that can be played – especially if a no deposit bonus offers free spins.

Andrew Black ($670 Million)

Andrew Black was born in 1963 and grew up in London, where he attended King’s College School and later moved away to attend the University of Exeter. Having returned to London to work within derivatives, Black became more successful as a gambler and eventually left work to go professional. Black earned enough to establish a software business and was primed to establish Betfair as the world’s first sports betting exchange.

Zeljko Ranogajec ($600 Million)

Zeljko Ranogajec was born in 1961 to Croatian parents who settled in Hobart, Australia. The prodigious Ranogajec became a student of law and commerce at the University of Tasmania. Early on, he realised he had a natural talent for card counting and used this to his advantage at the blackjack tables of Wrest Point Casino.

Ranogajec developed a reputation for card counting and was soon banned from any intelligent casino in Australia. He then went to the United States and would also gamble on keno and horse racing. Ranogajec soon became a top sports betting tipster within horse racing. Now situated in Europe on the Isle of Man, Ranogajec has won millions over the years from his sophisticated betting system.

Phil Ivey ($26.25 Million)

Casino players and sports bettors are often the most successful gamblers. However, we can’t rule out poker players. Not when discussing the incredible Phil Ivey, who was won more than $26.25 million in career earnings from the poker circuit. Rather than beating the house, Ivey’s career has rested on systematically beating the world’s greatest poker players.

Born in California during the 1970s, Ivey was moved to New Jersey at three months. While working at a telemarketing firm in the 1990s, Ivey realised he was a strong poker player when he routinely defeated his colleagues. However, just a few years later, he received the nickname, “The Phenom”, after clinching a third bracelet from the World Series of Poker in 2002.

Billy Walters ($100 Million)

Hailing from Munfordville, Kentucky, Billy Walters was born in 1946 and endured a difficult upbringing that eventually led him to work as a salesman at a used-car lot. After developing into a top salesman, Walters was capable of selling more than 30 cars a month and broke records at the dealership.

While growing up, Walters gambled and wasn’t a successful one as of 1981, when he decided to switch careers. After being found guilty of gambling, Walters chose to move to Las Vegas in 1982 with his wife and gambling there legally. Although worth more than $100 million, Walters has also lost millions. Most impressively, he won $3.8 million in a mammoth 38-hour session of roulette by identifying a wheel bias on a specific group of numbers.