5 Biggest Gambling Losses from the Last Decade

David Banks
Authored by David Banks
Posted: Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - 21:58

Sometimes people who are gambling lose money. However, the following five losses take the cake. We’ll talk about some of the most significant gambling losses in the past decade.

Many of these casino losses are from high rollers playing high-stakes games. Check out our site where you can play casino online and where we offer the latest news and reviews of casinos in the UK. We’ve collected a list of the hottest casinos in the UK for players like yourself.

Our author Jordan Carry is highly experienced in the casino industry and has written countless reviews and informational pieces. You can learn more about him here. 

Charles Barkley

Former NBA star Charles Barkley is no stranger to the gambling world. While he had a very successful career in the NBA, he’s had several controversies as well. His gambling addiction is well known, and it’s estimated he has lost more than $10 million over the years

During an ESPN interview, Barkley admitted he had lost about $10 million (roughly £7 million). He lost $2.5 million during a single game of blackjack alone. However, he didn’t think he had a problem.

Later, in 2015 he said his total losses in Las Vegas might have been as high as $20 million. Charles Barkley has acknowledged his gambling addiction and has worked to bring things under control.

Micheal Vick 

Micheal Vick is another sports star to make the list. He was a well-known quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons. Micheal Vick didn’t just lose a lot of money; he lost his reputation and career. 

It was discovered that Vick had been running an illegal dogfighting ring and supplied a large amount of money for the gambling to take place. When news of it broke, the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, suspended Vick immediately. 

He was eventually sentenced to prison and lost everything. He likely owed somewhere around $10-50 million in debt.

Wayne Rooney

The famous footballer was previously a player for Manchester United. He also had a notable gambling problem throughout his career, which cost him greatly. We know this has also caused some marriage problems; his wife was not too fond of his spending habits. 

It’s reported that in a single night, Rooney lost as much as £500,000 playing at the 235 Casino located in Manchester. He lost it all on just two games: roulette and blackjack. Currently, he is retired from playing football and instead manages a team.

Anonymous Player Lost £250,000

We don’t know the identity of this player. The story was shared by a dealer who was working in the casino. We are sure many exciting and juicy things happen in casinos we don’t know about. 

In this case, the dealer was working at a private table for a certain high roller. It was reported he brought a duffle bag that was filled with cash, totalling about £250,000. The game of choice was blackjack. 

The player was making very large bets, and in 15 minutes it was all gone. That’s a pretty significant loss in a short period of time. 

Harry Kakavas 

Harry Kakavas might be one of the best known on this list. The former Australian billionaire managed to blow an exceedingly large amount of money on gambling over a 15-month period. 

Kakavas wagered close to €1 billion on casino games during this time. Ultimately, he ended up losing around €11 million in total. Back in the 1990s, he was even sentenced to jail for defrauding a large corporation for money that he ended up gambling away.

Kakavas is also famous for taking the casino to court, claiming they exploited his gambling problem. Not surprisingly, the case was thrown out, and he was made to pay back all his debts.

Conclusion

Did you ever lose money in a casino? Those playing at a casino lose sometimes, and sometimes they win. It’s interesting to see people out there can gamble away more money in a night than most people will make in their whole lives. For the rest of us, we’re happy to play at the regular casinos.