Zeljko Ranogajec
Childhood
Zeljko Ranogajec was born on May 22, 1961, in Hobart, Australia, to a family of Croatian immigrants. His early life was relatively ordinary, but his mathematical abilities would later set the foundation for his extraordinary gambling career.
Career
Education and Early Gambling
Ranogajec began his journey into professional gambling while studying Commerce and Law at the University of Tasmania. He was particularly focused on tax, finance, and banking—subjects that would later prove invaluable to his gambling enterprises. During this time, he discovered card counting and began applying his skills at the Wrest Point Casino in Hobart.
Blackjack Dominance
Professional blackjack players regard Ranogajec as "one of the most prolific and innovative advantage players of all time." What's remarkable about his story is that he reportedly started with just "a few hundred dollars" and transformed this modest sum into millions through his exceptional card-counting abilities.
In the 1980s, Ranogajec collaborated with another legendary gambler, Alan Woods, further refining his techniques. His success, however, came with consequences—he was progressively banned from most Australian casinos, beginning with Wrest Point and Jupiter Casino on the Gold Coast. These bans eventually extended to casinos in the United States, earning him the nickname "The Joker."
In 2011, his contributions to the game were recognized with his induction into the Blackjack Hall of Fame.
Keno Jackpot
In 1994, Ranogajec reportedly won a remarkable $7.5 million Keno jackpot at the North Ryde RSL Club in New South Wales. What makes this win particularly fascinating is that he allegedly bet "significantly more than $7.5 million" to secure the jackpot but still came out ahead due to the numerous smaller prizes accumulated during his pursuit.
Horse Racing
Empire After mastering casino games, Ranogajec expanded into horse racing, where he developed a sophisticated betting system based on several key factors:
- Targeting betting pools with high liquidity
- Implementing an advanced analytical betting system
- Identifying small margins and placing significant wagers
- Negotiating substantial rebates with bookmakers, including industry leader TabCorp
His horse racing operations grew so much that he reportedly accounts for 6-8% of Australian bookmaker TabCorp's annual $10 billion revenue. On Betfair, his betting activities are believed to represent approximately one-third of the company's Australian operations.
Ranogajec assembled an extensive team of spotters, analysts, bettors, and administrators to support his vast gambling network. He reportedly directs these activities from office space in the Fox Sports building in Sydney's Pyrmont district. While he doesn't directly employ anyone, his operations indirectly provide work for over 300 people in Australia who supply the information he needs to maintain his edge.
International Operations
Since leaving Australia, Ranogajec has based his operations primarily in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.
He is a consultant to Newfield Limited, an international racing and sports event company.
In the UK, he co-founded Colossus Bets alongside Bernard Marantelli, though a planned partnership with Britbet comprising 55 British racecourses was terminated in June 2018.
Personal life
Ranogajec is notoriously private and rarely gives interviews. He met his future wife and business partner, Shelley Wilson, while she was working at the Wrest Point Casino. Some reports suggest he occasionally uses his wife's surname, registering as John Wilson for certain investment and gambling ventures.
Revenue
Ranogajec first appeared on The Australian Financial Review Rich List in 2019 with an assessed net worth of A$600 million. By 2021, his net worth had increased to A$610 million.
Despite these published figures, Ranogajec has denied claims about the magnitude of his wealth and betting activity, stating that such reports are "all just a big exaggeration" and that suggestions he is the world's biggest punter are "absolutely untrue."
Interesting facts
Despite never publishing a book or sharing his strategies, Ranogajec is highly respected and even idolized by professional gamblers worldwide.
Early in his career, Ranogajec used to call Arnold Snyder, publisher of the Blackjack Forum quarterly, attempting to convince him to stop publishing gambling information, believing that gambling secrets should remain secrets.
After failing to dissuade Snyder from writing about blackjack, Ranogajec would call him from exotic locations to tantalize him with stories of incredible games he'd discovered but would refuse to divulge the specific locations.
Like Blackjack Hall of Famer Bill Benter, Ranogajec is considered one of the most successful horserace bettors of all time, reportedly making hundreds of millions at racetracks.
His nickname, "The Joker," came from his ban from numerous casinos across Australia and the United States.
The 1994 Keno win at North Ryde RSL Club is considered one of the largest Keno jackpots in Australian history.
Legacy
Zeljko Ranogajec's legacy in the gambling world is defined by his extraordinary ability to identify and exploit mathematical advantages across multiple gambling disciplines. From blackjack to horse racing and beyond, he has consistently demonstrated an unparalleled talent for turning gambling into a profitable enterprise.
His induction into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2011 cemented his status as one of the greatest advantage players in history. However, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of his legacy is how he transformed from a small-time card counter to operating one of the most sophisticated gambling syndicates in the world. Ranogajec also leaves a complex legacy in terms of gambling industry practices.
His negotiation of rebate deals with betting operators has been controversial. Some critics argue that such arrangements provide unfair advantages to high-volume bettors at the expense of ordinary punters and even the operators themselves, as evidenced by Tote Tasmania's downfall.
Frequently asked Questions
Ranogajec built his fortune through various forms of advantage gambling, starting with blackjack card counting and eventually expanding into horse racing, keno, and other betting markets. His approach combines mathematical analysis, large-scale betting operations, and negotiating favorable rebate deals with betting operators.
While Ranogajec has denied being the world's biggest punter, calling such claims "absolutely untrue," the scale of his operations is undeniably massive. He reportedly accounts for 6-8% of TabCorp's $10 billion annual revenue and approximately one-third of Betfair's Australian operations.
Ranogajec began with blackjack, where he became so successful that he was banned from most casinos in Australia and the United States. He later expanded into keno, where he won a $7.5 million jackpot, and horse racing, which has become his primary focus.
No, Ranogajec has never published a book or any information about his strategies or methods. In fact, early in his career, he attempted to discourage others from publishing gambling information, believing that such secrets should remain private.
Ranogajec has significantly impacted the gambling industry, mainly through his negotiation of rebate deals with betting operators. These arrangements have been controversial, with some arguing that they provide unfair advantages to high-volume bettors and can even threaten the viability of betting operators, as seen with Tote Tasmania.
