{"id":32129,"date":"2022-07-21T07:51:21","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T12:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=32129"},"modified":"2022-07-26T02:44:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T07:44:00","slug":"kerry-packer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/kerry-packer\/","title":{"rendered":"Kerry Packer: The Life And Exploits Of Australia\u2019s Greatest Gambler"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Kerry Packer\nwas Australia\u2019s larger-than-life media tycoon, known for a bullish approach to\nbusiness. Yet, Packer\u2019s influence reached far beyond the corporate world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among other\nthings he revolutionized the game of cricket, was a key influence in many of\nAustralia\u2019s political contests and, after suffering a heart attack, ensured\nevery New South Wales ambulance was fitted with a defibrillator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Packer\nwill always be most remembered as a formidable gambler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A man who could\nmake or break a casino\u2019s year in the space of a few short hours. Whilst casino\nmanagers feared him, staff adored him for both his humor and his habit of\ngiving incredible tips. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But how did\nPacker come to have wealth that made the owners of even the biggest casinos\ntremble? And why did he invest so much time, money, and effort into cricket?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The answer\nbegins in a hot, mid-December Sydney. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kerry Packer was born in December, 1937, in Sydney, Australia to Sir Frank Packer<\/a> and Gretel Bullmore. Packer\u2019s early childhood was spent living through World War Two and the widespread fear of a Japanese invasion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following\nJapanese submarine attacks on Sydney harbor during May and June 1942, Packer\nwas sent to live with an aunt in Bowral, a remote town in the New South Wales\nSouthern Highlands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It was during\nPacker\u2019s stay in Bowral that he fell ill, contracting polio and spending nine\nmonths in hospital as a result. After leaving the hospital Packer moved to\nCanberra for two years where he slowly regained his full strength. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Packer\u2019s\nprolonged absence from education meant that he struggled upon returning to\nschool in Sydney. Undiagnosed dyslexia made catching up all but impossible and\nPacker was soon labeled \u201cthe family idiot\u201d by his father. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cruel nicknames\nof this kind were not uncommon, and Packer struggled to develop close\nrelationships with either of his parents. He often put this down to his parents\nbeing extremely busy people, who prioritized work and the war effort above\nparenting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Packer never spoke ill of his parents and was quick to describe his father as firm but fair in an interview<\/a> transcribed by Inside Story: \u201cSo, what was my father? What were my feelings towards him? I was a bit scared of him. He was a strong man. He was a just man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n