Aussie mogul and pro high roller, Kerry was a man who loved living large. He was well versed in playing Polo and heavily attracted to the siren call of the brightly lit casinos in Las Vegas and London.- Kerry Packer 

Formerly titled The Most Influential Man in Australia, he owned Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and many other companies. He had an impressive net worth and spent more betting hourly than most people would ever see in their lives.

The following story is about the adventures of The Prince of Whales, a nickname rightfully earned from his exploits.

Kerry Packer Biography

Born in Sydney on December 17, 1937, Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer was the son of business mogul Frank Packer. As a young boy, Kerry had dyslexia and a rare affliction of poliomyelitis, which caused temporary bouts of paralysis. These illnesses prevented him from attending school regularly, and in a short time he began working for his father, loading newspapers at The Telegraph.

Sir Frank Packer’s death in the early 1970s saw him inherit the family’s companies – Nine Network and Australian Consolidated Press – which left him with a net worth of about 100 million dollars. The skills Kerry picked up over the years working for his father benefitted him greatly in his endeavors, as he was known as a ruthless businessman who had a knack for closing big deals.

He had a good run – married Roslyn Packer and had two children – and had fun like every moment was his last. He eventually passed at the age of 68, on December 26, 2005, in Bellevue Hill, Sydney, but he still lives on as a wagering legend who knew how to have a good time.

Now that we have gotten the serious details out of the way, let’s shift into the more fun parts of Packer’s story.

Incredibly High Stakes

The billionaire legend was known for one major thing in the betting industry – high stakes. Kerry Bullmore inherited a love for betting or perhaps an addiction from frequenting the races with his father, and the huge net worth he inherited shot that addiction through the roof.

In 1987, he lost a whopping sum of $19 (£8) million in a private room at the Ritz. The story says that he staked at two different stands at the same time, placing bets of $24,000 (£10,000) per hand and signing the house’s cheques of $473,000 (£200,000) at a time for more chips. Even though he was on a losing streak, he kept requesting more chips and eventually dropped a cheque ($2.4 (£1) million).

Winning too Damn Much

Kerry lost a lot, and whenever he did, it was a good day for the betting institution, but when he won, oh boy! It was monumental. According to the tales, in 1995, he was banned from the MGM Grand casino after he won $26 million in a few hours, staking up to $500,000 per stake.

He was also banned from Crockfords in London for “winning too much” after beating the house edge and getting a payout of £10 million in a matter of weeks.

Another night, he won big ($7 million) at a table in the public game area of the Hilton. The institution won it back the next year when he lost tons of dollars ($10 million) after a two-day fun session in a special room designed for his betting.

The Father of Modern Betting?

Kerry Bullmore introduced the World Series Cricket, which involved one-day international gameplay. This competition turned players into pros and played a major role like cricket as we know it today. It was such a huge impact that Netflix has a film of it – Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War.

He acquired sole rights to the championship broadcast, which he streamed on Channel Nine. This move, which earned him a lot of money, came with a legal discourse that led him to sell off the channel at AU$1 billion to Alan Bond. When the company began crumpling in 1990, he bought it again for AU$250 million. Now that was a logical move!

Kerry Packer was a huge influence in the sphere. He would set up trends in everything. In fact, If he was born a bit later, creating online casinos and gambling would have definitely been his idea. He was all for new and cool things. At the same time one could not have called him an irresponsible fool, he cared a lot about the security of the sector. Thanks to his influence the Australian gambling sphere was one the most protected and fair. These regulations have since developed into other quality services like Poli payment casino, a place for those who care about security as much. This site gives the players an opportunity to read into the payment systems and their benefits, it is a trusted platform where the professionals have researched the gambling sites and have given feedback on them. This is exactly the kind of security that was demanded by the Australian mogul Kerry Packer.

An Unapologetic Baller

Packer was an audacious man who said things exactly as they were; damn the consequences. In 1991, the Australian government summoned the tycoon during an investigation into the written media industry because he was in the business. He was asked his name, and he boldly replied, “Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer. I have reluctantly appeared here”. Now that takes courage!

The Epic Coin Toss

The story of Kerry and the Texan oil baron is the stuff of legendary tales. As the story goes, our favorite real life gambler was doing as he usually did, betting alone at a blackjack table, when an arrogant Texan millionaire interrupted Packer’s gameplay. “I’m a big player, too. I’m worth $100 million,” the Texan said. Kerry, in his polite and good nature, produced a coin from his wallet and said, “I’ll flip you for it.” There is no need to tell you how he reacted; just imagine it!

A Big Heart

“The Prince of Whales” did so many generous deeds during his time on the Earth. One time after Packer’s kidney transplant in 2000, rumor has it that he promoted one Crown employee who sent him a “Get Well Soon” card from the dealer to Pit Boss.

He also paid out the mortgages of two cocktail waitresses on different occasions. The first was a sum of $150,000 because he was intrigued by her and the second was a sum of $130,000 as an apology for crashing into her and sending her drinks flying.

Astounding Tips

After Kerry’s outstanding success at MGM, he left $1 million as a tip to be split amongst the dealers. After a heart attack that left him clinically dead for seven minutes, he tipped the paramedics and ambulance drivers $1 million each and donated heavily to the New South Wales Ambulance Service.

Another time, he was impressed with a female croupier and offered her an $80,000 tip in chips, which she declined, saying the betting house prohibited it. This man, who would not take no for an answer, demanded that she be sacked on the spot. After which, he made her collect the tip and demanded the Taskmaster rehire her immediately. What a time to have been a dealer at the lucky tables.

What’s a Little Bankruptcy?

May 1990 saw the doors of London’s most exclusive betting house, Aspinalls Club, close after they ran out of funds. There were rumors that the legend caused it, but none of these rumors were fully confirmed. According to a gossip column in London, he had won $709,000 (£300,000) at the institution the week before, forcing them to shut their doors.

Conclusion

If there was one thing Kerry did, it was to live on his terms. He was notorious for getting involved in his TV stations, like when he called his Sydney Station to pull Australia’s Naughtiest Home Videos off the air. He was also known for closing great deals, having fun, and being great company (when he won).

The media tycoon loved to win, and he still remains a legend in the industry for gamblers to learn a thing or two from. It was even written in the book – The Rise and Rise of Kerry Packer. He might be dead but his legacy will continue to live on for everyone to be inspired by this legendary man.