Most people believe that movie stars only exist in a glitzy, enchanted world that is parallel to our own. That is clearly untrue. Irrespective of how widely recognized their facial features may be, they are still ordinary humans.
Like everyone else, they experience good and terrible days, as well as hopes and anxieties. They are simply too renowned, too attractive, and well-paid for us to have any other opinion of them.
This also applies to playing at online casinos and sportsbooks. Even while it is quite a bit of joy reading about the outrageous wagers and antics of famous gamblers, their tales tend to confirm the idea that they exist in a parallel world to the rest of us.
Let celebrities like Ashton Kutcher profit from these presumptions. In an interview with “Esquire” a decade ago, the actor stated that he had served as the frontman for a sizable sportsbook betting syndicate by using his good looks, fame, and charming personality!
The Baby-Faced Guy from Rom-Coms… Seriously?
Kutcher probably would not be named as the favorite if wagers were being made on which Hollywood star would orchestrate a plot to defraud punters of hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, that is the thing that makes him an exceedingly wise pick!
The baby-faced star was found in Iowa City, where he was pursuing a degree in biochemical engineering after an unintentional encounter with a modeling scout. He was raised by working-class parents in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Then came modeling assignments in Milan, Paris, and Calvin Klein advertisements.
His first-ever audition culminated in him getting hired as Michael Kelso in “That 70s Show”, a smash hit that ran for 8 seasons and garnered 16 Primetime Emmy nominations. True superstardom soon followed. Kutcher’s main cultural representation became that of the incredibly attractive and utterly stupid young man with the golden heart from the part.
Other notable film and television triumphs followed, including his leading man roles in “Dude, Where’s My Car?”, “My Boss’s Daughter”, “The Guardian”, and “No Strings Attached”. He also created and served as executive producer of the hidden camera reality television series Punk’d, which he also starred in.
But his success was not limited to the entertainment industry… and we are not simply referring to his unions with a couple of the most renownedly stunning female individuals alive, in our opinion (Mila Kunis as of 2015 and Demi Moore from 2005 to 2011)! No, we are referring to his venture capital-related accomplishments.
It appears that this Iowa guy knows how to choose a winner because he co-founded A-Grade Investments and its successor, the Sound Ventures investment fund.
Some companies in which he ventured comprise AirBnb, Uber, Shazam, Spotify, Neighborly, and SoundCloud. Despite what his cultural stereotype might suggest, it appears that he is perhaps not as stupid as first thought.
Before we go on with Kutcher’s “betting case” let us say a few words about the first-mentioned company he invested in. Actually, he invested millions of dollars in the technology via Sound Ventures.
This May, Kutcher expressed his opinion that artificial intelligence technology has the capacity to transform a variety of fields, including medicine and law. He added that generative AI, such as that created by OpenAI, has the power to improve access to services like legal advice.
No, There Is No Stupid Bone in His Body
Having said that, it appears that Kutcher used his “dumb” character to his advantage when it evolved to raking in big bucks at the mansion. Or more precisely, straight into his pocket! It is evident from listening to him discuss it that this man is not foolish in the least. What happened, in the actor’s own words, is as follows:
“I was a front for the largest sports-betting syndicate in America.” Say what? How much cash did he then make and how long did this last? “We were clearing, like, $750,000 in four weeks of college football. It was pretty fun.”
We agree that seems like fun! What kind of tactics were used, you might be asking? “In football, you’re basically looking for numerical anomalies. Handicappers have to handicap X number of games every week, which is why the sport — college football in particular — is really good for this because there’s such a broad array of games happening at one time.”
Kutcher emphasized that there is a limit to how many games the handicappers can accurately predict. As for the house, what they actually want to do is maintain an equal number of players on both sides of the wager so they can collect the juice.
The line can really move favorably in relation to the likely result of the game if you can see the anomaly where it is assumed that they would become heavily weighted on one side, he continued. So, as he said, the line’s margin of error has to be adjusted.
That is to be measured and the other edge of the line is to be played if they have placed it incorrectly or too hard to one side. “You can gain probably a 40 percent statistical advantage on them.
It’s really complicated. You gotta know a lot of data points — how this team played on various surfaces, in different weather — a lot. But these guys could do it.”
There are certainly some true statistical gurus out there. Leaving aside how he originally came into contact with these men, where did he enter the scene as well as what was his function?
He responded by noting that while often these people are not allowed to bet, they are skilled at taking advantage of the house. Thus, they invited him in. He did nothing more than put the wager.
And it succeeded. What happened next? “Then they caught on. The hypothesis had been that the house would just assume that I was a dumb actor with a lot of money who liked football.”
Before being busted, a sizable betting ring seems where Kutcher was involved placed shady wagers on one particular kind of football – NCAA games.
Kutcher Is in Love with eSports
First, Unikrn received funding from billionaire investor and Shark Tank television personality Mark Cuban. Then, in 2015, Kutcher made a financial commitment to the eSports gaming startup by means of his joint venture with Guy Oseary, with whom he co-invested in Sound Ventures.
In the same year, Unikrn also debuted its global platform.
The agreement, which follows a $7 million investment in which Cuban participated, was another indication that eSports was developing and that businesspeople were discovering ways to profit from the tens of millions of consumers who routinely watch eSports competitions for entertainment.
A website where you can wager at the best English betting sites in 2024 reviewed here on matches with your preferred eSports players in games like Counter-Strike Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, and others has been developed precisely by the Seattle-based company Unikrn.
From That 70s Show to That 7-Figure Show
A lot of money but void inside the head, right? One is, at least, 50% correct. Among the richest actors in the world, Kutcher has a net worth of over $200 million.
Although it seems like great news about sports betting among Hollywood celebrities is released every day or so, it appears that this handsome lad from Iowa was much ahead of the curve. Sure, sports betting may be one of the most interesting areas of growth.
It does not really matter if Ashton Kutcher considered syndicating a commercial investment or not; he will always be known as one of Hollywood’s biggest gamblers. Our main lesson? We applaud anyone who manages to routinely outperform the bookmaker at their own game. Nevertheless, do not attempt this at home!
