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A lot of people know Kiwis love a punt. Gambling is massively popular in New Zealand, and that's been the case for decades now. Despite that, there aren't many famous New Zealanders who are also gamblers. These are the lucky few.

From an investment banker turned multimillion dollar winning poker pro, to a TV host turned mental health advocate or a new-generation gambling streamer who found online fame for his high stakes blackjack play, these New Zealanders all made a fortune from gambling.

Lee Nelson is New Zealand's Most Legendary Poker Player

Widely seen as New Zealand's greatest poker player of all time, Nelson is the only Kiwi in the Poker Hall of Fame. Well, The Australian Poker Hall of Fame - but it still counts. Nelson's poker career took him all over the world, including Australia, England, Las Vegas and Prague, and he won $2.5 million doing it.

Luckily, you don't have to go anywhere, or put down any money at all, to have a go at gambling games online. Free slots play lets you try all out all the newest, best and shiniest slot games without putting down a cent first. Once you've found your game, you could have a wager later - but with 32,000 slots to look through, that might be a while.

Three interesting facts about Lee Nelson:

●      Only started playing poker professionally after retiring from the medical profession at 65

●      Shares his name with a hilarious British comedian

● Wrote several poker books including Kill Phil: The Fast Track to Success in No-Limit Hold 'em Poker Tournaments

Sosia Jiang is The Upstart Kiwi Poker Queen

Amazingly, Lee Nelson, now 82, might not be New Zealand's greatest poker player for long. Sosia Jiang, former investment banker turned teacher turned poker professional, is coming for his crown.

44-year-old Jiang has more than three million USD in career earnings, including winning the 2017 PokerStars Championship in Macau and the Sydney Poker Championship High Roller.

Born in China, Jiang moved to New Zealand with her family, aged six. At age 18 she enrolled in Australian National University, before obtaining two degrees and moving to Hong Kong for a career in banking. A decade later she moved back to New Zealand to become a teacher - and four years later, a professional poker player.

Although Jiang hasn't made a big tournament score in a couple of years, just one or two more tournament victories would probably cement her position as the best Kiwi poker player of all time.

Mike King Battled Addictions But Kept His Love for Poker

1990s TV funnyman Mike King was a household name in New Zealand for decades, but his subsequent struggles with cocaine addition bought his career to a bit of a halt. However, after recovery, he has recently found a new lease of life in mental health and addiction advocacy, and was voted New Zealander of the Year in 2019.

And, through it all, he has retained a love for poker. Although his gambling got the best of him for a while decades ago, he can still be regularly found at the felt to this day.

In fact, he once had a heart attack after using cocaine to stay up during a three day poker tournament in Australia. A story probably not suited to a comedy bit, but certainly a cautionary tale of addiction.

King now also runs a charity offering mental health support to young people, which has worked closely with the NZ government.

Some interesting facts about Mike King:

●      He was considered the face of the New Zealand pork business in the 90s after a string of adverts

●      He was given a Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit for his mental health work, but returned it when he felt changes weren't being made fast enough

● Visited Afghanistan to meet with NZ troops stationed there for a 2012 TV special

Tim Naki is a New-School Gambling Streamer You Might not Know

Nowadays, you don't have to be a world class poker player, a canny sports bettor or a card shark to make money gambling - just be charismatic and stream it online instead.

Canada-based New Zealand-born Tim "Naki" Myers knows all about that. He regularly streams himself gambling to several thousand fans online, who love to watch him put down eyewatering sums on blackjack while coming up with creative insults for the online live dealer.

Back in February 2024, Naki really hit the headlines when began wagering $0.01 for every Instagram follower on one single daily blackjack hand. He started at $1500 for 15,000 followers. Three months later Naki had amassed 1.95 million followers and ended the 90 day challenge with a $195,000 blackjack bet (split over two bets due to limits). Which he won.

Over the challenge Naki was up not only a million followers but also $4 million as he went on a ridiculous lucky streak.