The Ultimate List of Today’s Most Successful Gamblers: The Top 15 Richest Players in the World

Many people think that casino games are all luck-based. However, there are many skilled players who have made a living out of gambling. These gambling experts believe that you need a lot of experience and knowledge to win at either online casino or land-based casino. Here is a list with the top ten richest gamblers worldwide.

• Bill Benter
• Tony Bloom
• Edward Thorp
• Andrew Black
• Zeljko Ranogajec
• Billy Walters
• Terry Ramsden
• Phil Ivey
• Chris Ferguson
• Doyle Brunson
• Howard Lederer
• Jonathan Duhamel
• Patrik Antonius
• Haralabos Voulgaris
• Archie Karas

We took a look back over the years and have compiled a list with 15 of the wealthiest gamblers. Many of these gamblers started out as beginners and then improved their strategies and skills, eventually winning more money and becoming the most successful gamblers in the entire world.

Let’s now learn more about these famous professional gamblers.

The world’s richest gamblers

Bill Benter

Net Worth: $100,000,000 annually

Blackjack, horse racing and horse racing are some of the most well-known games.

Bill Benter is a math genius who studied physics at the university. He then decided to use the knowledge he gained to count cards at blackjack tables. Edward Thorp’s book has helped him improve his methods.

After seven years of taking down the house, Benter was eventually banned from Las Vegas casinos. Instead, he moved to Hong Kong. Together with Alan Woods, he developed a formula that allowed gamblers to predict the outcome of horse races while living in Asia.

Not only that, but he also helped to create the world’s first online gambling platform with software. This operation is recognized as being one of the most profitable. Bill Benter, according to rumours, makes $100 million annually and often makes $5-$10 million per race day. This makes him one of the most wealthy gamblers in the world.

Apart from being a professional gambler, he is also well-known as a philanthropist, and a major donor to charity and political parties.

Tony Bloom

Net Worth: Estimated net worth combined – up to $1.7bn

Popular for: Poker and Sports Betting

Anthony (Tony) Bloom was a poker legend as well as a chairman for a number of football clubs. He is also the owner of Starlizard, Britain’s largest gambling consulting syndicate. This company is thought to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Complex methodologies are used by the workers to create football odds that are more accurate than those offered by bookmakers. These odds are then offered to punters who can beat the market and make long-term profits.

Bloom was promoted to the Premier League by Brighton & Hove Albion in 2017 and took over control of the club’s finances. Bloom is believed to have spent more than PS200million in Brighton. He also donated a PS93million in 2011 so that the club could move into a new stadium with greater capacity.

Bloom began gambling when he was a kid. He used his pocket cash to spin the reels on the fruit machines. He continued to gamble into his teenage years. In order to place some bets at the tiny casino, he used a fake identity. He was an accountant at first, then a trader later. Then he decided that he wanted a career as a professional sports betor to join the ranks of successful gamblers.

Edward Thorp

Net Worth: $800 millions

Baccarat, Blackjack and Baccarat are the most popular games.

Thorp, a mathematics professor with a master’s degree in Physics and a doctorate level in Mathematics, had an above-average intellect. Edward Thorp is known as the father of card counting. He invented the original system, and then used it in real life situations.

Additionally, he is the author of the “Beat the Deal: A Winning Strategy to the Game of Twenty-One”, a book that details his innovative point system and card counting. This system has been widely used by card players across the globe. He was the pioneer to use computer simulations to create his blackjack strategies. He also invented card-counting systems that significantly improved players’ chances.

Thorp studied the game of blackjack in a systematic way and examined every aspect. After he started to win huge amounts of money, Thorp became an attraction to casino bosses. Thorp eventually put his intelligence to use in the stock market, making a fortune with securities and hedge funds.

Andrew Black

Net Worth $670 million

Famous for their horse racing and bridge

Andrew Black, a British entrepreneur is an avid racehorse-owner and professional bridge player. Betfair is the first and largest betting exchange in the world.

Black started his career in a derivatives firm when he was young. However, he became more successful as a gambler and was eventually able to stop working and pursue gambling full-time. Black decided to open a software business after gambling failed to provide enough financial support. Wray was playing bridge at the time. He showed Wray a prototype that he had created and he gained Wray’s interest.

Betfair was launched by Black and White in 2000. Betfair was listed at PS13 on the London Stock Exchange, which valued it at PS1.4bn. Black owned a 15% share of Betfair at around PS200m.

Zeljko Ranogajec

Net Worth: $600,000,000 AU

You are famous for your favorite games: Blackjack, horse racing (keno), and sports betting

Zeljko ranogajec, also known as “The Joker” or “The Joker”, is an international celebrity who was a master mathematician and studied finance, banking, and tax law. An Australian businessman and professional gambler, Ranogajec is well-known. His annual betting turnover is over $1 billion. Ranogajec loved playing various gambling games. However, he mastered blackjack card counting and began making profits when he placed bets at Australian casinos. He is the world’s most famous gambler, holding a record of winning $7.5million on keno.

According to The Daily Mail, Ranogajec studied Commerce & Law at the University of Tasmania during the 1980s. In order to cash in at the casinos, he teamed up with David Walsh (a talented mathematician). Ranogajec has a primary focus on horse racing, but sports betting is also an interest. This middle-aged man is determined to keep his private life private, even though he spends almost $3Billion annually on gambling.

Billy Walters

Net Worth: $200 millions

It is well-known for its popularity in sports betting

William Billy Walters has a net worth of $200 million. He earns about $15 million per annum, but he made $2 million once in a single day. He is also a high-roller gambler and can stake as much as $3,5million. Walters created the Computer Group, which was used for sports analysis in the 1980s.

Walters has only lost one year in nearly 40 years. He also enjoys a 30-year winning streak. Walters, who is a legend in gambling, often placed bets for others (including actors).

He lost his biggest bet when he was convicted of insider trading using non-public information obtained from Thomas C. Davis. Davis is a board member at Dean Foods. Walters faced jail time but is currently appealing the decision.

Terry Ramsden

Net Worth: $200 millions

Horse racing is well-known.

Terry Ramsden is an English investor who gambles and is known for his knowledge on horse betting and Japanese stock market. Glen International, a company based in Edinburgh, was purchased by Ramsden in 1984. It had a small annual turnover at PS18,000, and within three years its income had reached PS3.5 billion. This placed him at the top end of the UK’s wealthiest list. Ramsden, who was described as the best gambler and owns expensive cars, properties, and racehorses is also known for his ownership of 30% of Chelsea football club, and all of Walsall Football Club.

In 1991, he was taken into custody in the USA. He served six months of jail time before being deported to the UK. Ramsden declared bankruptcy in 1992, after his debts reached PS100 million. Ramsden pleaded guilty to the charges and was given a two year suspended sentence. Ramsden, who had been insolvent in 1997 and was hiding assets in the amount of PS300,000.000, was sentenced to 21 month imprisonment. He served 10. He was also ordered to pay PS10,000 as prosecution costs.

Phil Ivey

Net Worth: $100 millions

Famous for its poker games

Phil Ivey is often called “The Tiger Woods Poker player”, because of his ability to make a fortune from the game. His net worth is over $100 million. He is one the most prominent gamblers in history. Phil Ivey was 38 years old when he became the youngest winner of 10 World Series of Poker bracelets. He also won one World Poker Tour title and played at nine World Poker Tour final tables.

Phil Ivey, who won over $15 million in live tournament earnings, was considered poker’s GOAT and the top poker player with the best poker face.

Luciaetta, his ex-wife, received millions of dollar as a settlement for their divorce. Multiple resources show that she acquired a purse collection of more than $1.2 Million, jewellery valued around $1,000,000, $180,000 per month in alimony payments, half the proceeds of their home sale and 40% of all business interests.

Chris Ferguson

Net Worth: $80 millions

Famous for its poker games

Chris Ferguson, who won six World Series of Poker tournaments, the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championships, has been recognized as one of the top professional poker players in America and around the world. Ferguson was only ten years old when he first started playing online poker. He played in fun mode and practiced his strategy in chat rooms.

Ferguson was a teenager when he received his PhD from UCLA in computer science. He then founded Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt Poker was experiencing a boom in profits and their Alderney license was suspended. This was because it turned out that Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Rafe Furst were taking money from customers for personal use.

Ferguson and the Department of Justice reached a settlement in 2013 to return a portion of the money owed to the players. Ferguson’s net worth at the moment is approximately $80 million.

Doyle Brunson

Net Worth: $75,000,000

Famous for their poker skills

Doyle Brunson, an American poker veteran who has been playing for over 50 year, is now retired. He played poker professionally and was also a twotime World Series of Poker Main Event champion. He is also a Poker Hall of Fame Inductee.

Brunson’s winnings exceed $6 million according the Hendon Mob. Brunson also has more money from playing high-stakes tournaments. Brunson was the first person to win $1,000,000 in poker tournaments. He also won ten WSOP Bracelets throughout his career.

In 2008, he declared his retirement from tournament poker. He entered the $10,000 2-7 Single Draw at 2018, the WSOP, and finished sixth. This earned him almost $44million.

Howard Lederer

Net Worth: $60,000,000

Poker is a well-known game.

Howard Lederer, an American professional poker players, has won two World Series of Poker Bracelets. He also participated in two World Poker Tours. Lederer was a total of eight final table players at the World Series of Poker before he earned his first bracelet in 2000. His second came in 2001.

Ray Bitar and Chris Ferguson were his co-founders of Full Tilt Poker Online Gambling Site. Lederer was accused in 2011 of fraud, but he settled with government a year later. Although he didn’t admit to any guilt, he did lose more than $2.5m in assets.

Lederer began playing chess as a teenager and moved to New York to pursue his poker career. Lederer began mentoring his sister to play poker. He appeared many times on Poker After Dark and provided video commentary for various competitions. Lederer also contributed to several books about poker strategy and provided commentary on poker programming. Lederer served as the Poker Players Alliance’s board member for 5 years.

Jonathan Duhamel

Net Worth: $32,000,000

Famous for their poker skills

Jonathan Duhamel won three WSOP bracelets during his career. He is most famous for winning the Main Event at 2010 World Series of Poker. Jonathan Duhamel is worth $32 Million.

Duhamel was interesting because he beat John Racener heads up, which is when Duhamel won the 2010 Main Event title. He took home $8,944,310. Duhamel became the first Canadian player in the Main Event to earn the bracelet. Duhamel is a fan of Montreal Canadiens and decided to donate $100,000 of his winnings the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation. It’s the largest individual donation made to the organization.

Patrik Antonius

Net Worth: 4 Million

Famous for its poker games

Patrik Antonius, a Finnish native, was born in Helsinki. He wanted to be a professional player of tennis but was forced to stop by his back injury. When he was 18 years old, he started playing poker at his local casino. This is where he discovered his passion for poker. Antonius began playing cards with his friends and started to enter big poker tournaments. In the end, he was invited to join the European Poker Tour as well as the World Poker Tour. Antonius started to play online poker. He decided to move to Las Vegas to fully concentrate on the game.

Antonius earned more than $17million in poker online in 2016. In 2009, he won the most valuable online poker hand of $1,3million. Patrik Anthonyius has a total career earning of over $4 million.

Haralabos Voulgaris

Net Worth: $500,000 to $2 million

NBA Sports betting is well-known

Haralabos Vulgaris, also known by Bob, is well-known for being one of the best and most prolific NBA betting experts in the world. Haralabos Voulgaris was raised by a passionate gambler father. This is why he became so interested in the betting market. Haralabos Voulgaris and his high school classmate graduated together. Haralabos spent most his time in Las Vegas watching NBA games, learning his skills, and then went on a vacation with his father to Las Vegas.

Sources claim that he bet all of his life savings on the Shaq/Kobe Lakers to win 2000 NBA Championship. As he could read the coaches and predict their moves, he made an absurd amount of money over several years. This led to him risking more than $1m every day of NBA matches. A successful gambler, he tried his luck with poker, finishing fourth in the 2017 World Series of Poker’s Big One. Live winnings reached $3 million.

He was named Director of Quantitative and Development Research and Development at the Dallas Mavericks in 2018.

Archie Karas

Net worth: Nearly $40 million. But, it was all lost.

Poker, pool are two of the most popular games.

Archie Karas, an American from Greece is another high roller on our list. He was poor for many years and believed he had nothing to loose so he began to gamble. He began earning first from the pool, then later from poker.

Karas made more than $40,000,000 in winnings between 1992-95, and only had $50 to wager. Incredibly, Karas managed to achieve a remarkable turnaround by attempting to convert $10,000 into $17 Million in just a few short months. At one time, he was so great that nobody wanted to play against him.

Karas was almost bankrupt in 1995. However, he is still a popular and respected player.

His gambling career did not end well. In 2013, he was arrested in San Diego for cheating and marking cards. He was placed on probation for three years and was sent to jail for 73 days.

Notable Historical Mention

Charles Wells, The Man Who Stole the Bank at Monte Carlo

Charles De Ville Wells was born in London, UK in 1841. He was an English fraudster, gambler, and gambler who is well-known for his successful gambling ventures. He won 1,000,000 Francs at the Monte Carlo roulette table in 1891, breaking the bank. Ironically, Wells was praised by the song “The man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo”. After his death, Wells was frequently referred to as “Monte Carlo Wells”, especially by the media.

Allan Woods

Alan Woods was a brilliant math genius who made use of his mathematical skills to become one among the most profitable players and the richest gamblers in the 20th century. Woods was an Australian professional gambler and a keen player of blackjack. He also bet on horse racing and managed to become one the largest gamblers on the planet.

Amarillo Slim

Amarillo Slim (Thomas Austin Preston Jr.), an American professional gambler, was best known for both his poker skills and his proverbial bets. Slim was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992, after winning the 1972 World Series of Poker Main Event. Although some people consider him a poker legend, a great gambler, and an ambassador for poker, others see him as a hustler, criminal, and cheat, particularly after he was accused in child molestation. He was not charged with felony, but he was given $4,000 in fines and two years probation. He was also ordered to undergo counselling.

FAQ:

Which gambler is the wealthiest?

Bill Benter is the current richest gambling addict in the world. He is thought to make approximately $100 million a year. Benter, a maths professor turned to gambling and, after many years of winning and losing, he decided to visit Las Vegas to play blackjack using card counting.

Which is the most successful gambler of all time?

American entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and retired professional gambling expert, William T. Walters (Billy Walters), has been one of Las Vegas’ most successful sports wagerers. His winning streak lasted for more than 30 consecutive years.

Taxes are paid by professional gamblers?

Yes, professional gamblers have to pay taxes. Every person who earns a living by playing online and off-line casino games must pay taxes.