A high roller, also referred to as a whale or cheetah, is a gambler who consistently
wagers large amounts of money. High rollers often receive lavish "
comps" from casinos to lure them onto the gambling floors, such as free
private jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...
transfers,
limousine
A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment.
A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a prof ...
use and use of the casinos' best
suites. Casinos may also extend credit to a player to continue betting,
offer rebates on betting turnover or losses,
and salaries of employees may also contain incentive arrangements to bring in high rollers.
The definition of a high roller varies. At
Crown Casino in Australia, for example, it involves bringing between
AUD$50,000 and $75,000 to the table. High roller players often have very high
table limit
The table limit is the minimum and maximum bet that a gambler can make at a gaming table. It is a form of yield management in that the limits can be changed to optimize the profit from a gaming table. Gaming tables have a limited resource to sel ...
s allowing the high roller exclusive use. Casinos compete on bet limits. In Australia limits of AUD$300,000 are common, in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
they are between US$150,000 and $300,000, and in
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
they are up to US$500,000. Only richer casinos can accommodate high-stakes gambling due to the volatility of results.
High rollers may also be subject to exceptions from various rules and regulations; for example the high roller rooms at
Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia are the only licensed venue in the state not subject to a
ban on smoking.
High rollers are said to provide only a small fraction of casino business.
John Eidsmoe John A. Eidsmoe is an American attorney and professor of Law emeritus. He has previously taught at the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, Faulkner University, Montgomery, Alabama, the O. W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University and Oak B ...
, in his book ''Legalized Gambling: America's Bad Bet'', claims that it is actually gamblers from the lower and lower-middle classes in the United States that provide much of the gambling money. "The occasional wealthy 'high roller' does indeed exist, but he is the exception, not the standard. The fact that more than 50% of Nevada's gambling income comes from
slot machine
A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively a ...
s as opposed to the card tables should be an indication high rollers are not the main source of revenue."
There have been many cases around the world where high rollers have committed
fraud
In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...
to provide funds for gambling beyond their means, after becoming seduced by the lifestyle.
This was the case with famed gambler
Terrance Watanabe who reputedly lost over $220M in Las Vegas over a 5-year period, and was ultimately sued by
Caesars Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment, Inc., formerly Eldorado Resorts, Inc., is an American hotel and casino entertainment company founded and based in Reno, Nevada that operates more than 50 properties. Eldorado Resorts acquired Caesars Entertainment Corpora ...
for failing to pay up on markers he took out during the binge totaling $14.75M.
[
]
While high rollers may not provide a significant portion of the revenues in the casino industry as a whole, they can have a major effect on the net income of casinos that cater to them. There are significant costs associated with attracting the highest-stakes gamblers, so if a casino takes this risk and the high roller wins, the casino's expenses can be extremely large. Likewise, if the casino's investment pays off and the high roller loses, the casino's gain can far exceed its expenses for the high roller's visit.
Related to high rollers are "low rollers", a loosely defined term whose meaning changes with context. This can be anything from a casino regular patron who nevertheless wagers very low amounts of money - perhaps just enough to participate in casino loyalty programs and "comps" - to any average low-spending tourist.
Notable high rollers around the world
*
Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Fedor "CrownUpGuy" Holz (
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
)
*
Terrance Watanabe (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Cary Katz
Cary Steven Katz (born January 29, 1970) is an American businessman and poker player.
Career
Katz graduated from University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. In 1999, he founded the College Loan Corporation, where ...
(
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Timothy Adams (
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
)
*
Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu (
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
)
*
Philipp "philbort" Gruissem (
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
)
*
Wiktor "Limitless" Malinowski (
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
)
*
Leon Tsoukernik (
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
)
*
Vanessa "V. Selbst" Selbst (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Bill Klein (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Steve "MrTimCaum" O'Dwyer (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Sam Greenwood (
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
)
*
Nick "Nick the Greek" Dandolos (
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
)
*
Elton Tsang
Elton Tsang Ka-wai (born 1980) is a Chinese Canadian poker player currently residing in Hong Kong. Considered as one of the five best Asian poker players, Tsang has achieved icon status in the international poker scene with his involvement in sev ...
(
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
/
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
)
*
Michael Addamo
Michael Addamo (born 1994) is an Australian professional poker player from Melbourne. He is a four-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner.
Addamo was a chess player as a teenager and reached a career-high rating of 1930 in 2013. He s ...
(
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
)
*
Ali Imsirovic
Almedin "Ali" Imsirovic (born January 29, 1995) is a Bosnian-American professional poker player from Vancouver, Washington.
Early life and education
Imsirovic was born in Bosnia and moved to the United States at the age of three with his family ...
(
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
/
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Jonathan Duhamel
Jonathan Duhamel (born August 24, 1987) is a Canadian poker professional from Boucherville, Quebec, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP). He has won 3 WSOP bracelets in his career.
Poker career
Jo ...
(
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
)
*
Niklas "Lena900" Astedt (
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
)
*
Charlie "Epiphany77" Cartel (
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
)
*
Alex Foxen
William Alex Foxen (born February 1, 1991) is an American poker player from Huntington, New York.
Foxen attended Boston College, where he played tight end on the school's football team. In 2012, at the age of 21, he won the first World Series ...
(
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Archie "The Greek" Karas (
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
/
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Scott "The Deipnosophist" Seiver (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Richard Yong
Seng Chen "Richard" Yong (born 25 December 1957) is a Malaysian businessman, bookmaker and poker player.
Career
Yong has a career in the information-technology and data-mining industries.
Poker
Yong entered the $1,000,000 dollar Big One for One ...
(
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
)
*
Erik "Sly/Seiborg" Seidel (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Dario Sammartino (
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
)
*
Maria Ho
Maria Ho (born March 6, 1983 in Taipei, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese-American poker player and television host/commentator. One of the top ranked female poker players in the world, and a Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee, she has over $5,000,000 ...
(
Republic of Taiwan/
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Pratyush Buddiga
Pratyush Buddiga (born May 11, 1989) is a former American professional poker player and spelling bee champion originally from New Zealand.
Early life
Buddiga was born in New Zealand and moved to the United States when he was five years old. Two ...
(
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Rick Salomon
Rick Salomon (born January 24, 1969) is an American poker player, who is best known for his 2004 sex tape with Paris Hilton. He had high-profile marriages with E.G. Daily, Shannen Doherty, and Pamela Anderson. As a poker player, Salomon won $2. ...
(
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Isaac Haxton
Isaac Haxton (born September 6, 1985) is an American professional poker player, amateur chess player, and a youth chess champion.
Early life
Haxton was born in suburban New York City and raised in Westchester. His mother is a psychiatrist and ...
(
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Mikita Badziakouski
Mikita Badziakouski ( be, Мікіта Бадзякоўскі, russian: Никита Бодяковский, Nikita Bodyakovskiy; born February 6, 1992) is a Belarusian professional poker player known for his accomplishments in live poker tourna ...
(
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
)
*
Christoph "Tight-Man1/26071985" Vogelsang (
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
)
*
David Peters (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Tony "The Lizard" Bloom (
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
)
*
John "JJ/Luckbox" Juanda (
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
)
*
Scotty "Prince of Poker" Nguyen (
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
)
*
Jean-Robert "Bobby" Bellande (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
J. J. Liu (
Republic of Taiwan/
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Raymond Wu (
Republic of Taiwan/
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Jimmy Cha
Jimmy Cha (Korean: 차민수, Hanja: 車敏洙, born January 15, 1951), also known as Ch'a Min-su, is a South Korean professional go and avid poker player. He is also a black belt in martial arts and a talented classical pianist.
Jimmy was bo ...
(
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
)
*
Steve "MuGGyLiCiOuS" Sung (
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
)
*
André Akkari (
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
)
*
Alexandre "Allingomes" Gomes (
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
)
*
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth Fadal (born September 7, 1973) is an American actress, conservationist, animal activist, model and poker player. A popular sex symbol and teen idol of the 1990s and 2000s, Elizabeth is best known for her roles in the films '' A ...
(
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
)
*
Luis Velador (
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
)
*
Gabriela Hill
Gabriela Hill is a Mexican-American television personality who hosted ''Poker After Dark'' on Discovery Channel in Spanish-speaking Latin America from April through October 2010, on People+Arts Latin America from January through April 2010, on ...
(
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
)
*
Yoshio "Yosh" Nagano (
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
)
*
Gakuto "GACKT" Oshiro (
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
)
See also
*
Casino host
A casino host is employed by a casino to deliver services to gamblers to help ensure that they become loyal patrons.
Nature of the work
A casino host will usually try their best to please patrons of their casino and will do their best to fulfill ...
, an employee of the casino that delivers services to maintain loyalty
* ''
Louis Theroux: Gambling in Las Vegas'', a BBC documentary profiling some high rollers
References
External links
*
{{Game-stub
Gambling terminology