Image by Freepik
Whatever happened to Allan Erlick AKA ‘The Mattress King’ who was a high-roller gambler in Las Vegas in Louis Theroux’s Gambling In Las Vegas? I’m pretty sure it was originally broadcast in 2007 on BBC 2. With a run time of 60 minutes, we saw a selection of gamblers in a TV programme that captured the fascination of many viewers which at times seemed surreal.
Allan Erlick was a Canadian businessman who sold mattresses for a living and fondly known on the show as ‘The Mattress Man’. He was known as a whale, a term given to gamblers who seemingly have no limits on the money they spend. The Mattress Man was given a executive penthouse for free by the casino, everything complimentary. However, there was a price to be paid and that was his commitment to splash the cash and gamble like money (his money) was going out of fashion.
At one point we saw Allan playing two slot machine at once. Some of these machines cost $5,000 a spin. He couldn’t find a winner for love nor money. Later, he played blackjack and was losing money hand over fist. To make it worse, Louis Theroux couldn’t stop winning. The only difference was that he was betting small stakes compare to The Mattress Man who said he didn’t mind losing $250,000 a day. I hate to imagine what he lost by the end of his ‘vacation’. He left the way he had come in a free limousine but looking like he’d had the stuffing kicked out of him. Not quite as plump as one of his mattresses.
It was said that The Mattress King went on to sell his company. Some suggested this may be down to gambling losses. Other comments online said they had seen him as an Uber driver. Whether this is true or not we can only imagine. However, the story of all main characters on Gambling In Las Vegas was one of loss. Each and every player, bar Louis Theroux, lost their shirt (or blouse).
Most didn’t look that worried about their losses.
I guess that’s what happens when you get used to losing cash.
Photo: Freepik
*That isn’t a photo of Allan on this mattress
