Bruno Mars Jokes About Gambling Debt After Hitting Massive Spotify Streaming Milestone

Born Peter Gene Hernandez, Bruno Mars has been obsessed with music from a very young age, and he's been getting recognition for his musical inclinations since childhood. Like the time he impersonated Elvis Presley at just 6 years of age during a 1991 airing of The Arsenio Hall Show.

He adopted the stage name Bruno Mars around 2004, which is right around the time he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career.

Since then, he's managed to clock in nine No. 1 Billboard hits and a purported $175 million net worth.

So why is he supposedly in so much debt?

In March of 2024, reports started circulating the internet that the singer/songwriter/performer/producer owed about $50 million in gambling debts to MGM casinos.

The above-linked article claimed that Bruno has a reputation for racking up "large debts" and referenced how prior to his music career taking off, he supported himself by playing poker.

According to a Las Vegas insider mentioned in the same piece, Bruno became a little too overzealous in getting back to his card-playing ways, utilizing the massive sums of money he accrued through music streams, record sales, brand deals, producer work, and concert earnings to bankroll his gambling habit.

Bruno has been enjoying Las Vegas residencies since 2016, and the source claimed that he was enjoying his time in Sin City a little too much. When he wasn't drawing in massive crowds to his live performances, he was purportedly losing big at card tables. So much so that at one point, he was $51 million in the hole.

However, shortly after the March 2024 rumors started making the rounds online, MGM Grand was quick to shoot them down. NME reported that the casino chain unequivocally stated that Bruno was in no way indebted to the brand, adding that they're happy with the long-standing relationship they've enjoyed with the artist.

A rep from the brand stated: "We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers. From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring lounge at Bellagio, Bruno’s brand of entertainment attracts visitors from around the globe."

Their statement continued: "MGM and Bruno’s partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM. Together, we are excited to continue creating unforgettable experiences for our guests."

The 15-time Grammy award winner also hit a new career milestone: he's the first artist on Spotify to hit 150 million monthly listeners.

He posted about the distinction to his Instagram stories, tempering it with a joke about the rumored multi-million dollar hole he'd dug for himself.

"KEEP STREAMING! I’ll be out of debt in no time," he wrote on the social media application. The IG story also sported an emoji of a dancing man and was paired with Silk Sonic's "777." An appropriate song choice, given the fact that it has a verse which reads: "I'm 'bout to buy Las Vegas after this roll."