Dana White’s gambling ability seems to come naturally to him, but surely, he has been blessed with a luck spell. In 2016, he and his business partners won the lottery when they sold a majority stake in the mixed martial arts promotion for 4 billion dollars. This made him earn around $360 million, and he will get nine per cent of future profits. Moreover, he earns an undisclosed salary from UFC to remain their president.
Apart from his profitable business career, he is also talented at gambling. He has been betting and winning big for years, to the point where some extremely popular casinos told him to stay away from their facilities. This is owing to his massive success at playing blackjack. He has even joked, saying that playing cards are his part-time job. His frequent visits to Las Vegas casinos have seen him banned from Vegas nightlife due to his tendency to win big.
Dana White, the Gambler – Winning Big at Casinos
Some might wonder whether the UFC’s president is hooked on gambling. Dana White’s gambling addiction seems to be inexistent. This is because gambling addicts tend to lose everything they have, which is not the case. Possibly, the key to success for White is to be able to stop when it is required. Also, he must have some deeply calculated strategies that boost his chances of winning.
In one video, he revealed the Dana White gamble story behind a couple of his prize acquisitions. They include a trophy he won playing blackjack and a champion belt. He won the trophy at a Rio Casino competition in 2010. The prize for the winner was $250,000 plus the trophy. He was playing against professionals, and he beat them all – something we can rarely see even at the best blackjack casino sites.
I told my wife and everyone that when I die, I want this thing buried with me in my hand. Dana White, UFC president
Eventually, the other players even claimed that the prize should be shared among the finalists in a jealousy strike. On the other hand, a champion’s belt was given to him at the Palms Casino after making more than $1m in one night, which was incredible. The Palms was owned by several different people who kept banning Dana White. However, the last owner decided to give him the belt to gently ask him, indirectly, not to come back again since he is the undisputable champion.
Dana White has a net worth of around $500m, which is only likely to increase with some important upcoming UFC fights. Anyone may ask themselves, ‘why does White need to gamble?’ The answer seems to be easy. In the first place, he is already rich, so if he loses a big sum of money, it won’t be such a great deal for him. Secondly, he appears to do this more as a hobby, one he is good at. For this reason, there seems not to be any trace of Dana White’s gambling addiction.
Dana White’s Gambling Problem – Being Banned from Casinos
As we said before, Dana White has been banned from multiple casinos in the gambling capital of the world. In an interview, the UFC president explained that casinos are designed to make you lose, so when someone wins frequently, it completely breaks their business model. He also said that some casinos are becoming more open and accepting him back. Nevertheless, he does not believe the relationship will last long, as he is confident of winning big again.
The Bellagio, the Caesar’s Palace, the Palms… many casinos have fallen victim to Dana White, the gambler. He praised Caesar’s Palace, stating that anyone is allowed to play high stakes and will be treated appropriately. White also noted that this generalised hatred among casinos is the way he plays.
Many people come to casinos for fun and think they will become millionaires with a stroke of luck. Then, once they win something, they keep playing. In contrast, when White wins a significant amount of money, he stops playing. This is a good mentality to keep away from developing a gambling problem, which we will cover in the next section.
Is Dana White’s Gambling Addiction Real?
As we said before, there isn’t any evidence to say that Dana White’s gambling habits are destructive. He is prone to stop when he loses and when he wins. White lost once as much as $1m on a boxing bet, but he always tended to win. He also won as much as $7m in one single night. A gambling addict has no limits, and he will play and play until he loses it all.
Dana White, the gambler, is a winner, which could lead to gambling issues in the long run. However, there is no evidence showing he is an addict. In fact, he has been gambling for years already. This leads us to believe that he has everything under control. Furthermore, an ordinary person who has lost half a million dollars, possibly the savings of his life, would ruin him immediately. Losing that amount is like losing peanuts for White, which is another reason why he is utterly protected from gambling issues.
Most of the time, a gambling issue can be fixed by setting personal limits when playing online and being open about it. There is a lot to the psychology of gambling. Support from family and friends is key, and as a last resource, therapy might be needed. Below, we have listed a few symptoms that gambling addicts could suffer:
- Feeling restless
- Guilt
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Need to gamble with increasing amounts
- Seek the thrill and the risk of gambling
- Escape from worries
- Stress
- Obsession
Dana White’s gambling problem might be inexistent, but if you are suffering from any of these symptoms, please, talk to your beloved ones and take up gambling therapy. There have been extreme cases, like Tony O’Reilly’s, the postmaster who stole over one million pounds from his post office to sustain his gambling habits, that have been successfully resolved.
Dana White’s Gambling Tips
Knowing Dana White’s gambling story, we can draw some conclusions in order to gamble responsibly. A millionaire might not have much to lose compared to an ordinary person. However, there have been numerous cases of celebrities ruining their lives because of binge gambling. Based on White’s gambling habits, we have concluded that some of the best tips to carry out responsible gambling while boosting your chances to win are the following:
| 🖥️ Technology | Be careful when gambling online. Easy accessibility could become a problem without proper control. |
| 🧑💼 Work | Do not make gambling your sole source of income. |
| 🎲 Gambling | Gamble responsibly. Stop playing if you’ve lost or won enough and specialise in one game. |
| 👪 Relationships | Prioritise family and friendships before gambling. |
| 🆘 Help | If you think you’re having a problem, you should ask for help immediately. |
| 🧘♂️ Philosophy | Do not take gambling as a fun activity. Your goal is to win, like when you’re competing. |
| 🎸 Hobby | Take up a hobby unrelated to gambling. |
| ⏲️ Frequency | Do not gamble regularly, only sometimes with the objective to win. |
| 🚫 Limits | Set your losing and winning limits. Think with your head, not with your emotions. |
Remember to watch out your spending when gambling. Our advice is that you choose licensed operators to avoid cybercrime and disloyalty from the operator. Look for online casinos approved by the UK Gambling Commission, which offer numerous self-restriction tools to help you control your wagering habits.
Most importantly, remember that in the UK gambling is forbidden if you are underage. The legal gambling age in the UK is 18 years old. Breaking this rule is strictly persecuted and the consequences for the player and the casino could be notoriously serious.
Dana White Gambling FAQ
Dana White’s story can become an example to those wanting to increase their chances of winning at the casino. See our FAQ section to learn more about Dana White and the advice you could follow to improve your gambling strategies. Keep reading.
