UFC President Dana White is well-known for his love of blackjack. It turns out, the world’s most popular casino game isn’t the only form of gambling he enjoys. This week, more of Dana White’s gambling habits came to light.
Some are surprised to see how White chooses to spend his cash. He’s always been a risk-taker, yet not many realized exactly how much cash he is willing to wager. Today, we’ll talk about some of White’s admitted gambling history.
Let’s get into it!
The UFC Continues Pushing Forward With Events in Las Vegas
As many know, the UFC was the first major US sports league to resume its operations after the mass sports shutdowns back in March of 2020. Initially, many were hesitant about the UFC’s plans to hold events so quickly. Eventually, however, the world’s leading MMA promotion proved it can be done safely.
After a few events in Florida, the UFC made headlines by moving its operations to the Apex Center in Las Vegas. Issues booking international fighters lingered, though. The UFC then announced it was holding several shows on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
This changed the game. The UFC worked with officials within the UAE to form a “bubble.” This allowed the promotion to bring in fighters from around the world to compete on this island. Since the initial events here back in July of 2020, the UFC has returned two different times.
Recent UFC events have once again been taking place inside the Apex Center in Las Vegas. This UFC’s state-of-the-art venue has been the perfect place to hold major Fight Night and Pay-Per-View events. Six more events are scheduled to take place here over the next two months. Many are heading over to sites like Bovada to bet on all the action from home.
UFC President Dana White has been responsible for much of the promotion’s success over the past year. It took a considerable amount of risk for him to resume events when much of the world was still shut down. It doesn’t appear White’s risks are limited to just his business activities, though.
This week, Dana spoke about some of the ways he enjoys to gamble. Many were astounded to hear what he is willing to risk inside casinos.
Here’s What We Know About Dana White’s Gambling Habits
Dana White’s entire career with the UFC can be defined as “risky.” He and his business partners purchased the company for a few million back when mixed martial arts was still a sideshow act. Through perseverance, he helped to turn the UFC into one of the most recognizable sports brands on the planet.
It’s not a huge surprise to hear Dana enjoys heading to a casino from time to time. Years ago, he documented some of his biggest blackjack wins and flops during an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience. This week, he spoke more about his love for sports betting, too.
“I always [gamble],” White said during an interview with ESPN recently. “On every sport that I’m interested in. On every game on Saturday, If I want to know what the line is, if it’s college or pros, I always look at the line on fights. I play table games too much. I’m a degenerate if you’re not getting it. I’m a degenerate, yes. I love to gamble… I bet $1 million on [Jermaine] Taylor and he got destroyed. It was the first time I ever bet $1 million dollars because I was so confident Taylor was going to win that fight.”
It’s interesting to hear more about Dana White’s gambling habits. The UFC President is often hesitant to discuss his private life. He has no issues revealing some of his biggest blunders in the sports betting world, though.
Losing a cool $1 million on a single sports wager is tough. White certainly has enough cash to make up for it. It seems he still enjoys heading to Las Vegas to play his favorite table games, as well.
Speaking of Las Vegas, this city has been doing everything it can to recover from the casino shutdowns and massive drop in tourism. Things finally seem to be improving in this city.
Las Vegas Casinos Are Slowly Recovering
Las Vegas is still the world’s biggest casino destination. Some of the most expensive casino-resorts ever built can be found in a small area located in this city. Since March of 2020, however, Vegas has been facing massive economic issues.
State officials ordered all casinos to shut down that month. This was a devastating blow to the Las Vegas economy. Tourism immediately stopped and the businesses that relied on tourists quickly started to suffer.
Even after reopening in June, the casinos in Las Vegas continued to face massive revenue shortages. There simply weren’t enough tourists flocking here to make things profitable. Finally, the economic situation here is improving.
Tourism rates in Las Vegas are going up. As a result, state officials are loosening the restrictions inside casinos. That is leading to an increase in tourism and more revenue for the many casinos spread around the city.
More entertainment options are also launching here. Several major casino-resorts here have announced their biggest shows will be resuming over the next two months. Hope is that this positive trend continues over the next year!
Are you surprised to hear about Dana White’s gambling habits? Let us know in the comments section below!
Kevin Oldroyd
A longtime sports and gambling enthusiast, Kevin looks to present up-to-date and reliable information for readers. If he’s not writing, he’s probably watching MMA or playing blackjack. …
