The Last Time Nicolas Cage Gambled He Turned $200 into $20k, Then Gave It All to a Bahamian Orphanage

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Nicolas Cage hasn’t gambled in 30 years, despite living in Las Vegas. In a new interview, the eccentric actor recalled what he did with his winnings the last time he placed a bet.

Cage spoke to his friend Marilyn Manson for the latest issue of Interview magazine. The duo discussed the actor’s career in addition to a myriad of random topics, one of which was gambling.

“The last time I gambled was about 30 years ago,” said Cage. “I was in the Bahamas, and I walked into a casino and felt like I had my mojo with me, like nothing could go wrong. My game was roulette. I went in with $200, and I didn’t miss a number, so much so that even the lady spinning the wheel said, ‘Nothing sweeter than a repeater.’”

The actor continued, “In 20 minutes I turned $200 into $20,000, so I went and found an orphanage in the Bahamas, met all the kids and the headmistress, and said, ‘This is for you.’ I put the 20 grand in her hand, walked away, and never gambled again, because if I did, it would ruin the power of that moment.”

Cage went on to express his belief that one “can’t live in Vegas” if they’re a gambler. “I’ve seen it destroy people,” he said. “Of all the addictions, I think it might be the worst.”

Cage was also asked to reveal his “magic number,” which just so happens to be lucky number seven. “It’s kind of cliché, but the number has had power for me,” the actor noted. “If you want to walk down the road of the esoteric, what’s always been most powerful to me is something as simple as blowing out candles on a birthday cake. I really take those wishes seriously. It’s almost like a meditation. And more often than not, those wishes have come true.”

As we posted about earlier this year, Cage has been cast as Tiger King star Joe Exotic in a scripted series based on the Netflix documentary. The actor is currently filming The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, an action-comedy in which he plays himself and gets recruited by the CIA to take down a Mexican drug lord.