Let’s face it, some of the top musicians have a lot of spare money to play around with – so it should come as no major surprise that lots of famous singers and musicians like the thrill of online gambling. After all, they are people just like us – and many of us simply like the thrill and excitement that comes with online gambling. Whether it’s sitting at a blackjack table, spinning the roulette wheel or trying out the best new slots by Goodluckmate.com, studies suggest that around four out of ten adults visited a casino last year! This includes some of our most famous musicians…
So, let’s look at some of the most famous musicians that like (or liked) gambling of some kind….
Madonna
Our iconic Queen of Pop is known for enjoying lots of different hobbies. Indeed, it was reported that she did, in fact, win second prize in the SuperEnaLotto back in 2012. That year, on her world tour, she bought 100 tickets for the draw and won the €120,000 second prize. However, she used the money to build a school in Malawi, where she famously adopted four children from.
Apparently, Madonna regularly plays the Italian SuperEnaLottery, because she has roots in the country from her grandparents on her father’s side. She can’t buy tickets in the US< so she has to buy her lottery tickets online.
Ian ‘Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead
Lemmy’s rock band, Motorhead, is famous for many excellent songs, with one of them being the Ace of Spades. The whole group has a strong connection to gambling that they have never kept secret. The band’s lead singer and bassist, Lemmy Kilmister has spoken about how writing Ace of Spades was simply a word exercise on gambling.
Sadly, Lemmy passed away in 2015 – and he always had a live fast and die young attitude, which included gambling and slot machines. There are even some rumours that his nickname ‘Lemmy’ came from him saying ‘lend me some money’ – with Lemmy coming from ‘lend me’. This was never confirmed though.
This love of gambling was cemented in 2016 when Motorhead teamed up with NetEnt to create the popular Motorhead slot game.
Frank Sinatra
Old Blue Eyes certainly had those famous eyes light up when he was enjoying one of his favourite pastimes – gambling. Although he passed away in 1998, he is still famous all over the world, thanks to his massive success across the world, boasting 150 million record sales and acting in more than 50 movies. However, outside of the Hollywood lifestyle, he was connected with the mafia and was known for his penchant for gambling.
His love of casinos started out in Las Vegas, where he lived during the 1950s. According to sources, he was known to be a bit of a hothead and this was apparent in 1967 when he was playing at the Sands Hotel. It was reported that in one night he lost $500,000, which led to him allegedly stealing a golf car and driving it through the casino’s glass doors – then attempting to set light to the curtains.
As well as gambling, he also bought his own casino in 1960 – the Cal Neva Lodge & Casino.
Sean ‘Puff Daddy / P Diddy’ Combs
Although P Diddy is known mostly for his rapping and music career, he has also been a successful producer for other major artists such as Usher or Notorious BIG. He also likes gambling, with blackjack being his favourite casino game, He is known to play at the tables whenever he goes to Las Vegas and there are even rumours that he asks to have blackjack tables set up backstage when on tour.
Back in 2002, Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City invited him to inaugurate the improvements made – which included brand new, opulent blackjack tables. Not only did he entertain on the stage, but he was also amongst the first to take on the dealer on one of the new tables.
Jay Z
Jay Z is widely regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists ever – having sold over 125 million records and won 24 Grammy awards.
In terms of gambling, Jay Z has apparently called himself a professional – with his favourite games being blackjack and poker. Usually, he plays in private settings – but he’s no stranger to high-stakes tables at big casinos. There are rumours that he lost $500,000 on one single hand whilst playing a game of poker in Vegas.
Lady Gaga
Finally, we have Lady Gaga – who famously sang ‘Poker Face’. Although this song isn’t directly about the game of poker, there is a reference to it and, allegedly, Lady gaga does indeed have a finesse for the game of poker.=
Sources state that she has been seen in different casinos in Vegas and enjoys playing poker with her friends. Apparently, for her it’s not about whether she wins or loses – it’s all about having fun and practising her poker face!
