Canadian gamblers: Three of Canada’s Biggest Betting Names

Canada has produced some truly legendary gamblers. Whether they are playing at the best real money casinos Canada has to offer - where people can use real cash to bet either in person or online - or heading online to stake their virtual money and shake things up, the nation’s best gamblers often rake in impressive jackpots. Let’s take a look at some of the people who have taken their chances, Canadian style.

Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu

A discussion about Canada’s most famous gamblers can’t avoid talking about the legend that is Daniel Negreanu. Born in 1974 in Toronto, Ontario, to Romanian parents, the man they call DNegs is one of poker’s all-time greats. Winning seven World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, becoming the only person to be WSOP player of the year twice, and winning the prestigious World Poker Tour championship a couple of times, Negreanu is, rightly, seen as one of the greatest poker players ever. Well-known on the scene for his ability to read his opponents, Kid Poker has won millions of dollars worth of prizes, and his career shows no sign of stopping. Oh, and he used to date fellow Canuck Evelyn Ng, one of the greatest ever female poker players, too.

Haralabos Voulgaris: Bob the Basketball Betting Baron

When it comes to using one’s gambling skills to launch a successful business career, it is hard to top Haralabos “Bob” Voulgaris. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native hit the headlines in the early 2000s when he was able to transfer his knowledge of NBA basketball into some serious winning bets. Admitting he often bet and won millions in a day, Voulgaris managed to exploit the fact that bookmakers didn’t seem to understand that, at the time, the fourth quarters of games were often the ones with the highest scores, netting some serious money. But it isn’t just basketball where he’s been successful, though, because he has cashed in about $3 million playing poker. Voulgaris’ knowledge of odds and stats led to him going south of the border when he served as the Dallas Mavericks' Director of Quantitative Research and Development between 2018 and 2021.

Guy Laliberté: Entrepreneur, philanthropist, gambler

Some gamblers are born working out the odds, while others come into success later on in life. Guy Laliberté belongs in the latter category. One of the rare few who manage to become legitimate icons in two completely separate fields, Laliberté, who was born in Quebec City in 1959, was in his mid-40s when he started playing competitive poker in 2006. That said, his name was one people may well have been familiar with because by that time, he had already become rich, famous, and successful as the co-founder of the Cirque du Soleil. Once Laliberté hit the tables, though, there was no turning back for better or for worse. It rather says something about his success elsewhere that he has reputedly lost more than $30 million online. It also says something about his love of the game that he has sponsored a range of poker tournaments, including the $1 million buy-in The Big One in 2012, to raise money for his One Drop charitable foundation.