Australia’s Biggest Gambling Celebrities

Australians are known for their love of gambling, with a particular fondness for slot machines, or pokies. And, Aussie celebrities are no different. From Hollywood giants like Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman to sports stars like Shane Warne and musicians including Jimmy Barnes are known for enjoying having a flutter.

Australians especially enjoy betting on horse racing as well as bingo, lotteries, and casino games. In particular, the country has a love affair with slot machines. As well as being popular in casinos, they can be found in pubs and cafes, and in Techopedia’s ultimate guide to online pokies in Australia, gambling expert Vlad Grindu states there are thousands of online slot games available to Australian players at a variety of online casino sites.

One famous Aussie who might be found having a flutter is Mark Bosnich. The former football player plied his trade for Manchester United in the Premier League as well as for the Australian national team. During his playing career, and especially after it, Bosnich was known to enjoy gambling. His preferred games were horse racing betting but he was also known to enjoy playing roulette and poker and famously said that he would have bet on any game or event.

Former cricket superstar Shane Warne may have been best known for his dominance on the pitch, but his love of casino gambling was so big that he reportedly gambled more than $1 million in a single night of playing. Although he did move to the UK with his then-partner, Liz Hurley, Warne is still loved by Aussies even three years after his death. At one point, Warne was sponsored by 888poker for whom he competed at the Aussie Millions, World Series of Poker, and 888 UK Poker Open tournaments.

Away from the sports arena, Australia has its fair share of gambling movie stars. Russell Crowe is one of the country’s known big-screen exports. Famous for roles in films like Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind, the actor was also regularly spotted in casinos around the world. In casinos, he was especially fond of the game blackjack but also had a penchant for sports betting, and although his music career may not have been as successful as his time on the screen, Crowe penned a song titled Gambling Man that appeared on his album My Hand, My Heart and featured the lyric “I’m a gambling man.”

Another major movie star from The Lucky Country is Nicole Kidman. Famed for her roles in Eyes Wide Shut, Moulin Rouge, and, recently, Babygirl, as well as her marriage to Tom Cruise, Kidman also enjoys visiting Las Vegas, although she has said she isn’t very good at gambling. Husband Keith Urban said of the star that she is very good at limiting herself and being disciplined with her bets.

Finally, musician and composer Jimmy Barnes is another famous Australian with a lot of betting. Barnes has been a regular in casinos in the US and Australia and even hosted a poker tournament in Vegas in 2015. Barnes has said that he still enjoys gambling but the rock star has also said he does so with greater restraint than he once did.