Sports and the odd flutter – betting a little on the outcome of a game with your mates can be fun. It makes you want to study up a little and learn more about the teams you’re betting on. It can be harmless fun, and you may even win some money.

If you want to start getting a little more serious about it, you can progress to online casinos and gambling sites. You’ll need to set yourself strict limits and come up with a strategy that works best for you without losing everything you have. If you’re responsible, you can have fun and even win.  Before you get started, it’s always good to familiarize yourself with online casino guides so that you can start playing with an insider’s edge.

To that end, why not check out our post on “How to Manage Your Bankroll When Playing at Online Casinos?” That will give you more than enough info to get the most out of each session.

When Gambling is Big Time

Of course, gambling is popular across various levels of society. It tends to be somewhat spectacular when it comes to celebrities, though. After all, if you’re paid millions of dollars to play a role in one movie, losing $400,000 in a game of chance is not that big of a deal, is it?

That, at least, was the way Ben Affleck had to look at when played Ron Meyer, a studio executive, and lost. Although considering that Meyer was the president of Universal Studios at the time, we do have to wonder if that was the celebrity way to schmooze the boss.

It makes a cool punchline, but the matter was more serious than that. Affleck later admitted himself to rehabilitation to help get over the gambling addiction. Fortunately for him, he didn’t lose everything.

Other Celebrities Who Weren’t Quite as Lucky

The NBA legend Allen Iverson made $200 million as a pro basketball player. Thanks to his gambling addiction, though, he lost it all and ended up declaring bankruptcy. Actor David Milch not only lost everything but ended up owing the taxman $17 million – Ouch!

There are plenty of other examples we could draw on, but you can check them out for yourself in the infographic created by Harsha Reddy’s team from CasinoSites.

Reddy, something of a gambler himself, decided that it would be quite interesting to see just how much gambling factored in the glitzy lives of celebrities. To put it mildly, he was gob-smacked by some of the amounts that were being bandied around.

For most of us, $400,000 is a good start towards a dream home. Depending on where you live, it might even be enough to pay for it with money to spare. The idea that Affleck lost this amount in one session seems ridiculous to most people.

But then, let’s be honest, money does take on a whole new meaning in the celebrity world. The hottest celebrities literally have companies throwing money at them to get them to endorse products. It must be a heady mix – the fame, the glamour, the adoration, and the money.