Richest Gamblers In The World

If we look at some things in more detail, we find that the concept of gambling is as old as mankind itself. According to some researchers, existing many thousands of years ago, gambling in its roughly modern form first appeared about 3 millenniums ago. However, it is in recent years that many gamblers have managed to win huge amounts of money, becoming truly rich people thanks to their gambling hobbies. This can be attributed to the development of the iGaming industry, which has made gambling much more accessible to anyone from anywhere in the world.

So, we decided to take a look back and tell you about the world’s top 10 richest gamblers, many of whom started out as ordinary gamblers with no big ambitions to win a fortune. However, by honing their skills over the years, they were able to reach significant heights and become worthy of their place in our list of the richest gamblers.

Bill Benter - One of the Richest Gamblers in the World

With earnings of $100+ million a year, Bill is known as a blackjack and horse racing betting enthusiast. What makes Benter a special blackjack player is his unique card-counting technique powered by his outstanding knowledge of mathematics. He spent seven years honing his skills, perfecting his technique with the help of a book by Edward Thorpe. But after being blacklisted by most Las Vegas casinos, Bill was forced to move to Hong Kong where he developed a unique formula for horse racing with Alan Woods. He is also one of the creators of the world's largest software-based gambling platform. According to some reports, Bill earns about $100 million a year from horse racing. Being the richest gambler in the world, Benter is also a philanthropist. He regularly gives money to charities and helps people.

Tony Bloom - Gambler and Billionaire

Tony, who started gambling at a young age, had a passion for fruit machines. Since underage gambling was banned, he had to use a fake ID to spin the slot reels. After completing his successful career as a trader, Bloom became a professional poker player and later became involved in sports betting, amassing a fortune of about $1.7 billion. Becoming football club chairman, Bloom is also known as the richest football gamblers in the world.

Edward Thorp - The Richest Gambler Who Prefers Blackjack and Baccarat

Known as the creator of a unique card-counting technique, Edward Thorpe has an outstanding knowledge of mathematics and intelligence well above average. As the first to use computer modeling to develop gambling strategies, Thorpe is also known as the author of a book to help young gamblers get comfortable at the blackjack table. Edward's current fortune is about $800 million.

Andrew Black - the Richest Sports Gambler

Known as the co-founder of Betfair, Andrew worked in the derivatives business and had a parallel passion for gambling. Becoming increasingly successful as a gambler, he eventually gave up his day job to focus on horse racing and bridge. With a large stake in Betfair and successful gambling series, Andrew Black was able to earn about $700 million.

Phil Ivey - the Richest Gambler and Poker Genius

With 10 WSOP bracelets, one World Poker Tour title and 31 final tables in numerous poker events, Phil rightfully earned the nickname 'Tiger Woods of Poker'. Earning more than $100 million during his poker career, Ivey was forced to give part of his fortune to his ex-spouse in a 2009 divorce.

Allan Woods - the Math Genius

Focusing on blackjack and betting on horse racing, Woods uses his brilliant knowledge of mathematics to maximize his betting results. Originally hailing from Australia, Alan moved to Hong Kong where he has made a fortune in horse racing betting.

Chris Ferguson - One of the Founders of Full Tilt Poker

Ph.D. in Computer Science and founder of Full Tilt Poker, Chris Ferguson is in the circle of top poker players after several brilliant victories in 6 important poker events. Remarkably, Chris began learning poker at the age of 10 with the help of online poker trainers. Although Fergusson's Full Tilt Poker was caught up in a scandal involving the app's owners taking some of the users' funds for personal use, he was able to settle the case in 2013 and now his fortune is estimated at around $80 million.

Howard Lederer - One of the Richest Gamblers Playing Poker

Along with Ferguson, Howard is the man behind Full Tilt Poker, a scandalous app whose case was heard in court in 2011. Though he was originally into chess, Lederer soon turned his attention to poker and has excelled in the game, winning two WSOP bracelets and two World Poker Tour titles. Howard is one of the few poker players who have contributed to teaching the game through several bestselling books.

Zeljko Ranogajec - Australia's Richest Blackjack Preferred Gambler

A highly educated man, Zeljko boasts an outstanding knowledge of mathematics that has helped him excel at blackjack, mainly due to his own card-counting technique. He also frequently bets in other casino games and holds the record for keno winnings ($7.5 million). Spending about $3 billion annually on gambling entertainment, Zeljko rarely appears in public and does not reveal any secrets of his personal life.

Doyle Brunson - One of the Richest Professional Gamblers-Veterans

In the game for over 50 years, Doyle has won two WSOP Main Events. He has also been named to the Poker Hall of Fame. Ranked No. 6 at the 2018 WSOP, Brunson earned about $44 million. His total fortune is estimated at $60 million earned from poker tournaments.

Bottom Line

So, although Bill Benter is now the richest gambler of all time, one of the most successful sports betting players is William T. Walters with his winning streak of over 30 years.

As you can see, luck alone is not enough to make it to the list of richest gamblers. Each of the named gamblers has a unique knowledge in one field or another, most often in mathematics. So, if you are a fan of skill-focused games, you should take care to develop a good strategy before investing large sums in the game.