Top 3 Richest Australian Gamblers
It is no secret that Australians love to gamble. While most people lose their money to this infamous activity every year, some have been hitting it big - really big. Most successful gamblers owe it to good luck, while others are consistently successful due to their mastered art of playing smart.
So, who are the wealthiest gamblers in Australia, have they played in Australian no deposit casinos? There are several of them, with each having a unique story behind their success. In this review, we will focus on the top 3 richest Australian gamblers.
Kerry Packer
Packer began making a name for himself in the gambling industry after inheriting his family's fortune. Following the death of his father in the 70s, Packer inherited assets worth $100 million, which included casino and television investments that were established outside government regulations.
In the 90s, this new millionaire had a share of bad lack and lost about $28 million in under a month. But since then, it seems like Packer did appease lady luck for good fortune found him during a week's stay at the MGM Grand Casino, where he walked away with over $33 million from different slots and table games.
Packer was known as a risk-taker in both business and gambling. In these high-risk-high-reward stakes, his risks often yielded great payoffs. One of his riskiest dealings was selling his father's biggest moneymaker, Nine Network, back in 1987. This turned out to be a smart move because the investor who bought it couldn't manage it optimally as Packer had predicted, and in under three years, he bought it back for quarter its price. He reinvested the profit in the Foxtel Pay TV Consortium, where he reaped generous profits from the 25% shareholding.
Kerry Packer died in December 2005, aged 68 years, and with a net worth of $6.5 billion. The son, James Packer, is still one of the richest Australian Casino owners today.
Zeljko Ranogajec
This Aussie gambler is a seasoned horse race wagerer, but he is infamous for being secretive with his winnings and one of the richest australian gamblers. According to industry insiders, he is the biggest horse racing gambler globally, with a betting turnover of over $1 billion annually.
Ranogajec began his journey working at the West Point Casino while studying Law and Commerce at the University of Tasmania. While still counting blackjack cards at the Casino, he decided to drop out of school and pursue advantage gambling. This paid off.
Besides being a professional at horse racing, where it is rumored that he is active in Japan, New Zealand, the U.S, and Hong Kong markets, he is also a seasoned blackjack advantage player. He is credited as being among the most innovative blackjack players in the history of the game.
Zeljko is known for winning significant amounts of money that major Australian Casinos have banned him, among them being Wrest Point, Gold Coast, and Jupiter. Following his move overseas, casinos in the United States banned him as well. In 1994, he made a big win of $7.5 million from a New South Wales Jackpot. In 2011, Zeljko was listed in the Blackjack Hall of Fame.
Lloyd Williams
This is yet another name that appears in the list of the richest Australian gamblers. Lloyd Williams was a close friend to Kerry Packer, and he is the founder of Crown Casino in Melbourne. The Casino launched in 1994 and remains to be the biggest in the country and one of the leaders in the global arena.
William sold a large portion of his holdings, including his Broadcasting and Publishing company, to the Packer family's entities back in 1999. After Packer's death, he became the co-executor of the late Packer's estate.
Besides his ties to Packer, Williams is one of the largest racehorse owners in the county. He has won the Melbourne Cup on four occasions, making him a record breaker among the world's four thoroughbred racehorse owners. His net worth was estimated at $670 million as of 2012 by Forbes Asia.
