It will come as a surprise to no one that Bollywood stars make a lot of money. While the salaries might not be on par with their Hollywood counterparts, what they receive is enough for them to live an extremely lavish life in India. The money they earn is usually spent on flashy things like the latest cars, motorcycles and houses. One only has to do a quick Google search on Shah Rukh Khan’s house to get an idea of how expensive it is.
While these are what can be considered normal splashes of cash, some will use their money to pursue other activities. This includes playing at casinos. Now before you get all judgmental, you need to understand that India is going through a change in mindset when it comes to gambling. Yes, it is true that the Gambling Act of 1857 was devised to make it illegal, but many punters over the years have come out supporting the act of gambling. This has become even more apparent with the influx of online casinos and betting sites.
As long as one stays away from illegal sites such as King Exchange and instead play at licensed operations such as 10Cric, then playing at an online casino is deemed perfectly safe. The government itself has decided to pass the buck onto the individual states on whether they consider gambling to be legal or illegal. Several states have welcomed gambling with open arms, while others have deemed it as an evil of society and have outright banned it.
In this article, we will talk about a few of the Bollywood artists who have indulged in gambling over the years. Without further ado, let’s start with one of the biggest names in Bollywood –
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar, real name Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, started his acting career nearly three decades ago. He carved a name for himself as he was able to demonstrate his martial arts skills in movies. It also helped that he had a smile that could make anyone’s day better, and these two reasons alone have allowed him to reach the top of the Bollywood pecking order. At present, Kumar is reportedly worth a staggering 240 million dollars. With all that money in the bank, it comes as no surprise that Kumar loves to spend a bit of time in the casinos and is known as a magician amongst his friends. His speciality lies within card games which his friends believe he is very lucky with.
Jeetendra
From one legend to another, Ravi Kapoor, aka Jeetendra, is a Bollywood veteran and currently serves as the chairman of three major Indian entertainment platforms. Having worked in the industry for so long has done wonders for his net worth, which is currently estimated at 200 million dollars. Similar to Akshay Kumar, he is known for demonstrating a high level of skill, particularly with card games. He regularly organises parties at his bungalow, where he decks the entire bungalow with card game tables spread across two floors. There is some thinking behind this madness as the tables are arranged according to the amount of money being bet on them. For the lack of a better word, it is apparent that Jeetendra creates a mini-casino at his home and invites the elites of India, especially around festivals such as Diwali.
Harman Baweja
The last one on the list of Bollywood celebrities who like gambling is Harman Baweja. Baweja has made a name for himself as an actor and producer. He has several business ventures as well that have allowed him to accumulate a net worth of 5 million dollars. When he is not busy counting in money, Baweja can be seen sitting at the table of some of the biggest poker tournaments in the world.
