Ramblin' Gamblin' Man: Rene Angelil

I am beginning to feel sorry for Celine Dion's husband, Rene Angelil. For the past week his gambling habits have been the subject of constant press speculation, all beginning after I wrote on the Buffet about Harrah's executive Jan Jones, looking for an example of a responsible gambler, claiming in an interview published in England, that Angelil gambles $1 million a week here. Jones is likely in a position to know (despite her subsequent denial) since Dion performs at Caesars, a Harrah's property and all resorts are thought to closely track the exact play of their high rollers. But resorts usually do not share those numbers with the public in interviews. Blaming press speculation, Caesars then released an unprecedented statement claiming that Angelil's loses were small. (if you can call hundreds of thousands of dollars, small) and referring to his offsetting poker winnings at tournaments mostly at the Bellagio. This caused me to wonder on the Buffet how much Angelil gambled at the Bellagio, an MGM property outside of Harrah's orbit. Now, Norm Clarke of the Review-Journal (who today launched NormClarke.com) answers that question. According to Norm, Angelil's has lost more than $2 million at Bellagio where he maintains a $1 million credit line. But perhaps the biggest blow comes from Sun columnist John Katsilometes who appears to use Dion's husband as a synonym for over the top gambling. Katsilometes writes: "Charles Barkley put up some Rene Angelil numbers over Super Bowl weekend." In the story, Barkely estimates that as a gambler during his life he has lost about $10 million. Katsilometes quotes an ESPN radio interview with the basketball player in which he offers this wonderful quip: "I don't gamble too much, but I probably gamble for too much money."