If you wanted to know when gambling became such a high-society pastime, you’d have to look no further than the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and the dashing secret agent James Bond, from whom the James Bond technique gets its name. However, in the present era, the attractiveness of gambling remains defined by celebrity culture, with the world’s biggest rappers being among its most passionate devotees. Five internationally renowned rappers are discussed here, all of whom enjoy playing poker and roulette.
Jay-Z
One of the most famous rappers in the world, Shawn Corey Carter (aka JAY-Z) is also a highly successful songwriter, record executive, record producer, and entrepreneur. It’s no surprise that he’s worth an estimated $1.4 billion. (Forbes). In order to amass his money, JAY-Z had to take a number of risks on up-and-coming artists and on commercial ventures with uncertain outcomes. However, considering how much the “Empire State of Mind” singer is said to enjoy gambling, this probably wouldn’t have been too much of an issue anyhow.
The rapper is known to frequent the high-stakes tables of various online casinos, where he can be found playing games like blackjack and online poker. We’ve heard reports that JAY-Z lost half a million dollars in a single Las Vegas Texas Hold ‘Em hand and that he bet a six-figure sum on the boxing match between Miguel Cotto and Oscar de la Hoya, then gave the money away to the winner’s favorite charity.
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III, best known as 50 Cent, has been making music since 2005, when he released Get Rich or Die Tryin’ with the assistance of Eminem and Dr. Dre. Since then, he has amassed a fortune, received numerous awards, declared bankruptcy, and since recovered financially. Whether or not that has anything to do with gambling is not up for debate. However, the “Candy Shop” singer is notorious for his passion of gambling, and is frequently featured in the media due to the large sums of money he wagers.
In 2007, a million dollar wager was placed on the boxing contest between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar de la Hoya. In the NFC Championship Game five years later, he put down half a million dollars on the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. However, 50 Cent reportedly wagered $1.6 million on the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight, which he won.
Diddy
One of the most well-known rappers in the world is Sean Combs, better known by his stage names P. Diddy and Puff Daddy. His debut record, 1997’s No Way Out, has sold so well that it has been certified seven times platinum. But P. Diddy is also well-known for two other things: his affinity for bling and his penchant for wagering. The singer of “Mo Money, Mo Problems” is a big fan of Sin City and plays blackjack the most when he gambles online.
While we don’t have a lot of information regarding his specific wagers, the one we do know about is impressive. In 2015, Diddy wagered and won $250,000 from actor Mark Wahlberg on the outcome of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s boxing battle against Manny Pacquiao.
The American rapper, musician, songwriter, and entrepreneur Nelly Nelly (born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr.) is also the founder of the non-profit organization 4Sho4Kids, whose mission is to enhance the quality of life for children born with developmental challenges. As of the year 2020, his fortune is predicted to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million (but some estimates put it at $40 million and others at $60 million).
He’s a wealthy man, so he can afford to gamble a little bit when he’s off duty. Poker, specifically Texas Hold ’em, is said to be Nelly’s go-to pastime. It’s possible that, unlike the aforementioned rappers, he doesn’t go all out on single bets, but we don’t know nearly as much about those as we would like. However, he is well-known for being a fixture on the PokerStars European Casino Poker Excursion Circuit and for having competed in the 2007 World Series of Online Poker Main Event.
Over 170 million recordings have been sold by Drake, a Canadian rapper, actor, producer, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur, since 2006. Drake (real name Aubrey Drake Graham) has achieved unprecedented levels of success.
The singer has received four Grammys and is the most highly certified digital singles artist in the United States, among many other accolades. The rapper has been said to love an unnoticed wager at U.S. casinos when he is not headlining world tours or counting his estimated $150 million wealth. However, in 2019, it was revealed that he lost $200,000 in a single high-stakes session at an Atlantic City hotel, making public knowledge of at least one such gamble.
Are You Celebrity-Level Gambler?
When people remark that famous people are just like us, they usually mean that they, too, want to take a chance every once in a while. The fact that they have greater wallets than us should remind us to never bet more than we can afford to lose.