Ben Affleck Card Counting Story A Publicity Stunt?
May 5, 2014 12:16 pmOver the past few days any search for casino news has returned numerous articles claiming that Hollywood actor Ben Affleck has been banned from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for card counting at blackjack.
The story first broke in TMZ and a quick glance at some of the choice titles hitting the media outlets last week include such classics as “Batman Or Rain Man? Ben Affleck Banned From Las Vegas Casino For Counting Cards” and “Las Vegas Casino Puts ‘Batman’ in a Corner.”
According to news stories, the 41-year-old actor’s card counting prowess has long been known to the casinos and after apparently winning around $800,000 playing blackjack at the Hard Rock Cafe’s blackjack table in 2001, an internal memo was distributed by Games Protection Manager at the Wynn and Encore casinos, Rob Olivetti, stating:
“Ben Affleck (the actor)..Was informed that he was being way too obvious moving his money with the count. He was spreading $100 -10K on the double decks and $0-20K (2@10K) on the shoe games. As of now, he is still being allowed to play per casino management.”
In the latest rumour of Affleck’s card counting adventures, the Hollywood star was alleged to have been stopped at a high rollers’ table by security guards and barred from playing blackjack for life, with one hotel staff telling him “You are too good at the game”.
Now, however, it turns out the whole story may be nothing more than hot air, after the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas recently issued a response to the viral news, stating the following:
“Mr. Affleck, a valued guest of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, is not banned from our property and is welcome back any time.”
Interestingly, Ben Affleck is set to play Batman in the upcoming ‘Man of Steel’ sequel scheduled to appear in theaters on May 6, 2016. However, news of his replacing Christian Bale was not received at all well by comic book fans at the time, who pointed to his lackluster performance in “Daredevil” alongside his now wife Jennifer Garner, who portrayed Elektra in the movie. Whether or not the latest card counting story is just a cynical attempt to garner extra publicity remains to be seen. One thing for sure, however, is that the tale has caused quite a flurry of media activity ever since it first broke and the story continues to be splashed across countless news outlets online .