UFC CEO and combat sports mogul Dana White is a high-stakes gambler.
Born in Connecticut but primarily raised in Massachusetts and Las Vegas, White worked in Boston but was forced to return to Vegas by notorious gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, to whom he owed money.
Since then, he has built one of the world’s fastest-growing sports and celebrates his success by routinely wagering six- and seven-figure sums on the Vegas strip.
Most notably, one of White’s regular gambling escapades has him tripling his money in one game of luck the night before attending UFC 310 at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.
Dana White tripled his money on a game of chance
In a feature piece by Forbes’ Matt Craig, ‘How The UFC’s Dana White Epitomizes Business In The Trump Era,’ White’s gambling tendencies are discussed in great detail. The UFC CEO gambled $300,000 on six bets of Baccarat – a game of chance – winning five and taking away $1.1 million.
“That’s $1.1 million for me,” White said. “I’m out.”
White allegedly claimed he could spot patterns in the game, where the player wins roughly less than half the time. His chances were less than ten percent to win five of six bets.
Still, this isn’t the most ludicrous Dana White betting story.
‘Million bucks a night’ … Dana White recounts wild gambling story
This is just the tip of the iceberg for White, who has previously admitted to running popular casino Ceaser’s Palace out of almost $30 million in an incredible three-month streak.
“Ceaser’s Palace, I clipped these guys for a million bucks a night,” White told FULL SEND. “[From January to March] I beat these guys for, like, $26-27 million dollars. […] I f—– Ceaser’s whole f—— quarter up when I did this. On their earnings call, they actually mentioned me without mentioning me.”
To fund this lifestyle, White figureheads the UFC and other investments. The UFC produced $1.3 billion in revenue in 2023, a 13 percent jump from 2022. White also received a seven-figure stock package by joining Meta as a board director.