Bruno Mars announced a multi-year residency deal with the MGM conglomerate back in 2016 where he’d be performing at the MGM resort in Las Vegas. Although everything was going great for a few years, the singer now has a multimillion-dollar gambling debt with the casino.
On March 16th, it was reported that Bruno Mars now owes millions of dollars to the MGM casino after reportedly accumulating hefty poker debts. “(MGM) basically own him,” a Vegas source stated via News Nation.
“He makes $90 million a year off of the deal he did with the casino, but then he has to pay back his debt… after taxes (Mars makes $1.5 million per night).” Ninety million after taxes is closer to $60 million.
Mars has spoken about his affinity for gambling in past media interviews, revealing that he visited his first casino at 19 years old and, as a still unknown musician, covered his rent by playing cards.”
“I used to be like a loudmouth. You know the guy, people would want to take his money. If you do get them to lose, they’re out for you, they’re gunning for you,” he told GQ in 2013. “And that’s when they’re weak. And that’s when you jump or pounce on them.”
“I remember my first bet, my hand was shaking,” he recalled. “A guy called me out on it and embarrassed me.” The singer reportedly lost a hundred dollars, an amount he couldn’t spare and shouldn’t have been gambling with in the first place at the time, according to GQ. “You gotta lose. You just have to lose to win, to understand,” he added.
Mars’ residency at Park MGM resumes in June and tickets are available for purchase here.