Biggest Ever Roulette Winners
Over the years, there have been untold winners and losers at the roulette table worldwide. Here are five of the biggest winners in roulette history. These games were played by real people (not a computer program) at real tables starting with our number one winner all the way back in 1891 and ending in 2004.
1) Charles Wells - 2 million Francs
Charles Deville Wells needs a special mention not only because he was the biggest winner (when adjusted for inflation) but also because he was such an interesting character. He started his adult life as a genius inventor and pivoted to become a successful fraudster tricking people into funding his various schemes while pocketing all of the money. Eventually, he fled France to Britain where he fell into the old habits of defrauding his investors. Eventually, Wells made it to Monte Carlo where he found a real knack for gambling other people's money. Roulette was a particular favorite.
2) Pedro Grendene Bartelle - $3.5 Million
Pedro Grendene Bartelle was a hugely successful billionaire in Brazil. While he ranks in this list of biggest winners, he didn't exactly make gambling a life pursuit. His $3.5 million win was the result of placing a $35k bet on the number 32 in his hotel casino and hitting the jackpot. $3.5 million is nothing to someone with a net worth well into the billions.
3) Sir Philip Green - $2 Million
Sir Philip Green is a British billionaire and owner of multiple clothing store chains. He leveraged his vast wealth into an aggressive roulette strategy that ultimately paid him USD 2 million at a casino in Mayfair London.
4) Mike Ashley - £1.3 Million
Mike Ashley was once the proud owner of the Newcastle United Football club. The story of him winning his £1.3 million is quite famous - he supposedly bet on every combination of the number 17. Black, odd, numbers between 1-18, you get the idea. When the roulette ball finally fell into the number 17 pocket at the high rollers table in Mayfair London the crowd unsurprisingly began to lose it. Ashley is quoted as saying, "That'll do me, thanks very much".
5) Chris Boyd - $440k
Coming in at number five, we have something a little different. Not a billionaire or a swindler. Just an ordinary man, Chris Boyd. Supposedly, Chris saved up his salary for three years working at a well-paying programming job with the sole purpose of taking it to Las Vegas and doubling his fortunes. He managed to save $220k, which netted him a return of $440k. Not bad for one spin of the roulette wheel.
Biggest Online Winners
Online winnings from digital roulette are not as widely reported as in-person real tables. For that reason, we only have recorded real-life wins to refer to. Luckily, with such a rich history of winners, we have a good idea of the kind of wins we might end up seeing. Millions of dollars change hands with one spin of the ball. There is a very real chance that there have been online wins that completely dwarf any of these roulette record wins - with no one but the player to witness them how are we going to know? Would you tell the world if you won big at the roulette table? Probably not.
How to Join the Ranks of the Elite
If you want to join the roulette elites, there are a few tips that might shift the odds in your favor. Luckily, playing roulette online is one of the best tips to increase your winnings simply because it provides better table options. There is one surefire tip to cut the house odds in half and thus increase your long-term winning prospects. That is, avoid American roulette like the plague. American roulette tables have two zeros on the wheel, which means the house edge is about 5%. European roulette wheels, which are of French origin, only have one zero which means the house edge is but a lowly 2.5%.
Unfortunately, if you are hoping to rank in the list of biggest winners you very likely need to start out from the position of being a billionaire already. Simple, right? No. Odds are you will never win one round to the sum of a million dollars. Even high-risk takers such as Chris Boyd are to be admired but not emulated. Do NOT spend three years working just to risk everything on one spin of the roulette wheel. You might win big or you might devastate your financial situation. The best method for winning at any casino game is to bet small consistent amounts over time employing a good bankroll strategy. If you are sitting on a billion dollars and bet $35k on one spin of the wheel that is the same as having $100k in the bank and betting $3.50. Which is a pretty low-risk bet!
Summary
Hopefully, this blog post has shown you just how crazy roulette tables can be when life-changing sums are made and lost by the billionaire elite every single day. While these winners are certainly some of the biggest, the chances are that there have been online roulette winners that completely dwarfed these winnings. Without a crowd of spectators, we will likely never see these phenomenal wins firsthand. However, if you happen to win a couple million at the roulette table online, feel free to share the news with us and we will gladly feature you in our articles.
Myths Surrounding Casino Comps