Ben Affleck's Complicated History With Gambling

Hollywood actor Ben Affleck seems to have a long history of gambling as he's frequently spotted at brick-and-mortar casinos around the United States. From making incredible wins, losses, and being banned for life at a casino, Ben Affleck has experienced it all.

Back in October, Affleck made headlines after he appeared at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles shortly after he was spotted leaving the UNICEF Masquerade Ball and was seen visibly drunk when leaving the party, TMZ reports.

Affleck reportedly arrived at the casino with plans to try slots with a female friend and immediately joined a high-stakes poker game with a $20,000 buy-in. Around 15 minutes later, the star had reportedly won $1,500 and left.

Gamblers at the Commerce Casino later claimed that the actor was so drunk he nearly fell out of his chair. What's more, reports allege that the poker table was full when the actor appeared but floor staff allowed the Hollywood legend to join the game anyway.

Other reports suggest that the actor was at the Commerce Casino for around 40 minutes and was losing so much money he was attracting attention from other casino guests. Players at the scene described the actor as "obviously drunk" and claimed he was "messed up" and having difficulty walking and talking.

Sources also suggested that Affleck's girlfriend Katie Cherry was forced to hold his cash as he gambled.

Ben Affleck's "Slip-Up"

The actor, who had celebrated one year of sobriety a while before appearing at the casino, acknowledged his "slip-up" when speaking to TMZ the following day outside his ex-wife's home, telling the publication that he would not let that mistake derail his sobriety.

Although the actor has been open about his struggle with alcohol, the actor does not consider himself a gambling addict. However, the two-time Academy Award winner was reportedly banned for life from playing blackjack at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

After the actor was banned, rumors circulated that he was forced to stop after he was caught counting cards. When asked about the incident during an interview with men's magazine Details, Affleck said:

"That is a true story. I took some time to learn the game and became a decent blackjack player. And once I became decent, the casinos asked me not to play blackjack. I mean, the fact that being good at the game is against the rules at the casinos should tell you something about casinos."

Counting cards has gained immense popularity ever since the MIT Blackjack team, a group of six students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, beat the casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas to win a fortune. By the way, counting cards is not possible at casinos on the Internet since you have no way to place spotters at the tables and you also don't know when a new deck of card is being dealt.

However, it hasn't all been doom and gloom for the former superhero as he won the 2004 California State Poker Championship and took home a prize of $356,400. It's also been rumored that Affleck took part in Molly Bloom's high-stakes poker game at The Viper Room sometime during the 2000s alongside Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio.