Why Celebrities Gamble
Celebrities love gambling just as much as anyone else, and those who want proof of that claim need only look at the huge number of actors, actresses, musicians, sports professionals and business moguls who enjoy having a flutter. Sir Clive Sinclair is keen on poker, as are Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Shannon Elizabeth and more. Other celebrities prefer blackjack, roulette, progressive slots and sports betting. George Clooney loves gambling so much that he once planned to have his own Las Vegas casino complex. But why exactly do celebrities gamble?
Non-gamblers often assume (quite incorrectly) that people who gamble are only doing so to try and win money. Yet that explanation wouldn’t really explain why multi-millionaire celebrities enjoy playing poker or blackjack games for relatively small stakes, or why so many of them choose to play casino games and then give their eventual winnings to charity.
To truly understand why celebrities gamble we think that you need to look at what they derive from the activity. Putting the potential gain of money to one side, it could be said that gambling offers the following benefits:
A sense of risk and excitement. Celebrities are celebrities because they have reached the pinnacle of their careers, so the chances are that their daily lives are fairly lacking as far as risk is concerned. Gambling in Vegas or at online casino tables gives them a chance to bring more risk (and excitement) into their lives in a controlled way.
An entertaining distraction. Although we like to think that the lives of celebrities are packed to bursting with fun and activity, the truth is that there are long periods of time when they have to amuse themselves. For actors who have to wait several hours between takes, rock stars who spend all day waiting for their live show to start in the evening and sporting professionals who are injured or out of action for a while, gambling can provide an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Online anonymity. For celebrities who want to revel in anonymity and socialise with ‘regular people’, online gambling can make it possible. Multiplayer online casino games that allow players to chat with each other are obviously the most popular choices for celebrities who want to mix it with the public, with online poker being a particular favourite. Online multiplayer games also allow celebrities to play each other and their fans without drawing a crowd of photographers to cover the event. For example, writer, actor and film director Kevin Smith often plays online poker with his celebrity friends as well as his fans, as anyone who reads his online blog will already know.
When we take all of these benefits into consideration, it really isn’t at all surprising that celebrities enjoy online and offline casino gambling. Our answer to the question of why celebrities gamble is therefore quite simple: Celebrities gamble for the same reason that everyone else gambles… because it’s fun!
Article Published: 21/05/2010 17:05:05
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