UFC CEO Dana White reportedly owes at least a $25 million debt to a Las Vegas casino.
According to Casino.org, White has racked up quite the tab at the Red Rock Casino Resort in Summerlin, Nevada – owned by longtime friend and former UFC owner Frank Fertitta.
Fertitta and others sold the majority of their shares in the mixed martial arts promoter for a reported $4 billion in July 2016, acquired by Endeavor.
White was allegedly extended huge credit to find his high-stakes baccarat and blackjack sessions and reports have suggested while the minimum number is $25 million, it could be as high as $50 million.
The 56-year-old has an interesting reputation in the gambling world, claiming he is banned from casinos that aren’t Caesars or Red Rock locations.
He might want to check out some of the best Nevada online casinos instead where he could have a better chance of getting on.
White is known as a ‘shortstop,’ essentially a bettor who plays a small number of hands at big stakes and is likely to get up and leave the table after winning a flurry of hands.
The UFC chief has previously referred to himself as a ‘degenerate gambler’ and said he often plays $350,000 hands of baccarat in Vegas.
Last year during a podcast appearance with Lex Fridman, White recalled a sobering moment after waking up from a night at the Rio Casino to be told he had lost $3 million instead of the $80,000 figure he had in his head.
In July, White reportedly won $1.2 million at the Fontainebleau casino playing blackjack and in 2024 claimed to have won over $26 million in the space of a few months at Caesars Palace.
Last month, he was spotted handing out $1,000 chips to people who spotted him at tables and has always been vocal of his passion for the industry: “I love it. It’s what I do. Sometimes I win big, sometimes I lose big.”
With an estimated net worth of around $500 million, White probably won’t have much trouble repaying.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
