Dana White ‘Clipped’ Caesars for $26M-$27M on Baccarat Earlier this Year

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White’s betting habits and stories are widely known in Las Vegas and beyond, but that legend appears to be growing as he recently acknowledged taking Caesars Palace for a big chunk of change earlier this year.

Dana White
UFC CEO Dana White says he won an estimated $27 million playing baccarat at Caesars Palace earlier this year. (Image: MMA Fighting)

On a recent episode of the “Full Send” podcast, the UFC boss estimated that between January and March, he won $26 million to $27 million playing baccarat at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.

Caesars Palace … I clipped these guys for $1 million a night from, like, the first week of January all the way into March,” said White. “I beat these guys for like $26 million, $27 million.”

He added “Caesars is gangster” and is the place to play for high-level gamblers.

Caesars allows White to play $350K per hand — a limit extended to him and a small amount of other well-heeled clients. At that level, winning $1 million or more in a night is plausible. It’s also feasible that a bettor could lose substantial sums, and White acknowledged there are nights when a bettor can get “wrecked” betting well into six figures per hand.

White is a Longtime Caesars Fan

White’s methodology, which he reiterated on the “Full Send” podcast, is possibly irksome to some casino operators. If he wins three hands in a row, he takes his winnings and leaves.

That makes for a $1 million+ night for him and a loss of the same amount for the casino that he “victimized.” As a result, many Las Vegas casinos refuse to take White’s action, which is why he’s long been devoted to Caesars and MGM Resorts International’s Bellagio. On the podcast, he said Caesars will allow him to bet $350K per hand while Bellagio will go as high as $400K.

White, known for his outspoken demeanor, has previously levied criticism against some Las Vegas casinos for refusing to allow him to bet there. In another recent podcast, he called Wynn Las Vegas “a bunch of (slur referencing a female body part)” for not allowing him to wager there at his preferred limits.

Off the Strip, White is known to frequent Red Rock Resort in Summerlin, though he told “Full Send” he plays there at much lower limits because he’s that venue’s only client with the ability to play deep six figures per hand. Red Rock Resorts (NASDAQ: RRR) is controlled by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who were early UFC Investors.

White Still Wants to Play $1 Million a Hand

Despite the fact that his biggest losing night was $8 million, White reiterated his longstanding goal of eventually betting $1 million per hand.

“That’s my goal. That’s my goal in life before I die,” said White on the podcast.

He said under that dream scenario, he’d want a casino to extend to him $30 million in credit so he can play $1 million a hand, but he acknowledged no gaming venue anywhere in the world is likely to indulge him.

Todd Shriber
Todd Shriber Financial Reporter

Todd Shriber is a senior news reporter covering gaming financials, casino business, stocks, and mergers and acquisitions for Casino.org.

Todd got his start in financial markets as a reporter with Bloomberg News. Later, he became a trader at a Southern California-based long/short hedge fund, where he specialized in the trading sector and international ETFs leading up to and during the financial crisis. He joined Casino.org in 2019.

Currently, Todd analyzes, researches, and writes on ETFs for various web-based publications and financial services firms. Shriber has been featured and quoted in Barron's, CNBC.com, and The Wall Street Journal. His work can also be found on Benzinga, ETF Daily News, ETF Trends, MarketWatch, Fox Business, and Nasdaq.com.

He currently resides in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golf and taking his black lab to the dog park. He's also an avid sports fan and likes to wager on college football and the NBA. You can also find him at the three-card poker and roulette table, even though he knows better.

Contact Todd at todd.shriber@casino.org.

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