Jason Kelce’s gambling woes at Super Bowl LIX


Jason Kelce looks on from the sideline as the Kansas City Chiefs face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during an NFL game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, Nov. 4, 2024.
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Travis Kelce, along with the Kansas City Chiefs, suffered a crushing loss at Super Bowl LIX after being obliterated 40-22 by the Philadelphia Eagles. But his brother, Jason, also turned out to be a loser over the course of that eventful weekend.

The retired NFLer revealed that he lost “all my money” gambling while in New Orleans for the big game Feb. 9.

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“Casino’s right next door, and because I won so much money last year at Las Vegas [at the Super Bowl], I thought, ‘You know, hey, we’ll just keep this rolling, this will be great,”’ Jason Kelce recalled during an episode of the “New Heights” podcast he hosts along with Travis.

But the magic didn’t work this time. He described one point while playing craps as being “a bigger bloodbath than the game.”

Jason failed to take his own advice before hitting the tables.

“I don’t normally go to the casino,” he said. “It’s just like handing them money.”

Fortunately for Jason, after earning $80-plus million over 13 years as a player and signing a $24-million contract with ESPN last May, he likely can absorb the loss.

Jason’s case isn’t surprising. With sports betting and other forms of gambling becoming increasingly popular, the problem has spread like wildfire.

About 85% of U.S. adults have gambled at least once in their lives, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), while 60% have gambled within the past year.

The problem, though, is that gambling can lead to serious financial losses. The NCPG estimates that problem gambling costs Americans $14 billion per year in the form of gambling-related criminal justice and health-care spending, job loss, bankruptcy and other consequences.

One of the problems with gambling is that it can start as a social activity and turn dark quickly. It can be hard to say no when friends invite you to a casino to celebrate a birthday or bachelor party. But even a single night of gambling could have serious financial consequences.

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