Who doesn’t want to know about the extraordinary life of Kerry Packer, the Aussie business magnate who lived a life bigger than most of us could ever dream? But we're not here to talk about his billion-dollar media empire or his influence on Australian politics (though those tales are wild, too). Nah, today it's all about the man's insatiable appetite for gambling – the wins, the losses, and the sheer audacity that made him a legend in casinos around the world.
You wouldn't guess it from his later exploits, but young Kerry didn't have the easiest start in life. Born in 1937 to Sir Frank Packer, the hard-nosed media tycoon, Kerry spent his childhood moving from place to place as his family tried to avoid the Japanese threat during World War II.
To make matters worse, he contracted polio at a tender age, leaving him bedridden for 9 long months. The ordeal left Kerry struggling in school due to undiagnosed dyslexia and a lack of formal education. His father, never one to mince words, dubbed him the "family idiot" – a label that would've crushed a lesser man's self-esteem.
Despite the rough childhood, Kerry followed in his father's footsteps and joined the family business straight out of school. It wasn't all smooth sailing, though. When Sir Frank passed away in 1974, he left his entire $100 million empire to Kerry, cutting out Kerry's older brother Clyde in a stunning act of sibling rivalry.
With the keys to the kingdom in hand, Kerry wasted no time putting his own stamp on the Packer empire. He expanded into new ventures like property development and cattle ranching, but his biggest gamble (pun very much intended) was yet to come.
Here's where things get really interesting, folks. In 1977, the Australian Cricket Board made the boneheaded move of rejecting Packer's generous offer for exclusive TV rights to their matches. Well, Kerry wasn't one to take rejection lightly. His response? Starting his own damn cricket competition called World Series Cricket.
Using his vast wealth, Packer poached the biggest names in the sport, introduced revolutionary changes like colorful uniforms and day/night matches, and turned cricket into the commercial juggernaut we know today. The purists were appalled, but the fans loved it – and so did Kerry's bank account.
But let's get to the real meat of the matter: Kerry Packer's outrageous gambling adventures. This bloke was a certified high-roller, feared and revered by casinos worldwide for his willingness to bet obscene amounts of money on a whim.
We're talking bets of $250,000 per hand across 8 blackjack tables simultaneously. Winning $20 million in 40 minutes at the MGM Grand, only to blow $10 million at the Hilton a couple of years later. Dude even has the dubious honor of holding the record for the biggest gambling loss in British casino history – a cool $16.5 million over 3 days at Crockfords. Ouch!
What made Packer's gambling so legendary, though, wasn't just the astounding sums involved. It was the sheer audacity and nonchalance with which he approached the tables. Case in point: the time a boastful Texan tried to join his game, bragging about his $100 million net worth. Kerry's response? "I'll flip you for it."
Or how about the time he called up a casino, identified himself with the iconic "Packer here…" line, and proceeded to blow the minds of every bookie in a 100-mile radius with the size of his bets? The dude was out to have fun and didn't care who knew it.
Of course, a heart as big as Kerry's couldn't help but spread the wealth around – quite literally. The tales of his generosity towards casino staff are the stuff of legend, from paying off $150,000 mortgages to handing out $1 million tips to dealers after a hot streak.
My personal favorite has to be the time he insisted a croupier be fired just so he could give her an $80,000 tip without it being pooled among staff. Once she was "rehired," he handed her the chips, much to the shock and delight of everyone involved. That's just quintessential Kerry Packer right there.
Now, as legendary as Packer's gambling tales are, the man didn't always come out on top. In fact, his propensity for massive losses is part of what made him so fearsome to casinos. Whether it was the $28 million streak in the late 90s or the $55 million he allegedly dropped at the 1991 Sydney Easter Carnival, Packer could singlehandedly make or break a casino's bottom line.
And when the losses got too big, even the high-rollers' rooms would give him the polite boot for a while.
As is the case with all of us mere mortals, Kerry Packer's bodacious life eventually came to an end in 2005 at the age of 68. The man who'd cheated death after a heart attack that left him clinically deceased for 7 minutes couldn't outrun his ailing health forever.
While Kerry may be gone, his legacy lives on – especially in the gambling world. His son James followed in his footsteps, championing the construction of Melbourne's Crown Casino and acquiring others like Perth's Burswood. You just know Kerry would've gotten a kick out of that.
So that’s it: the larger-than-life tale of Kerry Packer, the Aussie billionaire who gambled with the kind of reckless abandon mere mortals can only dream of. He was a true maverick, a larrikin who played by his own rules and had one hell of a ride doing it.
As Kerry himself so eloquently put it: "Son, I've been to the other side, and let me tell you… there's nothing there." So you might as well go all-in while you're on this side, right? I'll certainly raise a glass to that philosophy!
