How Mikki Mase Went From Homelessness to Millions

Transcript

all right here we go today we have legendary Gambler Mickey mace who has won over 32 million at casinos welcome to Vlad TV thank you Vlad great to be here thank you thank you well it's your first time here I want to start in the very beginning so born and raised in New Jersey yes and uh you actually came from a fairly well-to-do family yeah for a s... Read More

Key Insights

• Mase's family was financially comfortable until his father received a federal case involving mail fraud and bribery, served what Mase recalls as 60 months, and returned after the family had lost its previous position. Mase says he was largely on his own during this period.
• Gambling was part of Mase's childhood family culture, with relatives playing cards for pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters at dinners and holiday gatherings. He says he began gambling around age eight, possibly earlier, within a family he characterizes as containing high-stakes gamblers.
• Mase's early drug activity was driven partly by a desire for acceptance from older peers. He began smoking marijuana and drinking around age 11, then using and selling pills and marijuana around age 12, adding a markup when reselling drugs to older children.
• Juvenile incarceration changed Mase's perception of punishment because he considered that institution worse than every adult jail he later experienced. He says surviving such harsh conditions reduced his fear of future consequences, since adult incarceration seemed like a better version of a place he had already endured.
• The juvenile institution contained extensive violence, threats, staff misconduct, emotional abuse, physical assaults, and sexual assaults, according to Mase. He recalls one threatened sexual assault against him that ended when staff members approached, causing the other youths to leave before a physical confrontation occurred.
• Education remained possible during incarceration because Mase earned his GED, studied independently for the SATs, and applied to five colleges as an incarcerated adult. He says all five accepted him, although a parole violation prevented him from leaving to attend college.
• Mase's recovery began after homelessness and substance abuse when a friend gave him a place to live and helped him become sober. According to the description, painting rehabilitation facilities exposed him to an industry in which others later encouraged him to establish his own facilities.
• Mase's wealth came first from rehabilitation businesses, according to the description, rather than directly from casino gambling. After becoming a millionaire and selling the business, he resumed gambling as a bachelor and reportedly accumulated more than $32 million in casino winnings.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Mikki Mase go from homelessness to becoming a millionaire?

Mase's path changed when a friend took him in during a period of homelessness and substance abuse and helped him become sober. He then worked painting rehabilitation facilities. According to the description, people encouraged him to open rehabilitation facilities of his own. Those businesses made him a millionaire, and he later sold them before returning to gambling.

Q: Why did Mikki Mase begin gambling at such a young age?

Gambling was a routine social activity in Mase's extended family rather than something he discovered independently at a casino. He recalls playing cards at family dinners and holiday gatherings, using pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. He estimates that he started around age eight, possibly earlier, and describes his relatives as a long line of high-stakes gamblers.

Q: Why did Mikki Mase start selling drugs as a child?

Mase says money was not his only motivation because he had no bills to pay at that age. He wanted acceptance from older children who used drugs, and supplying pills helped him enter their social group. Around age 12, he sold marijuana and whatever pills he could obtain, sometimes adding a markup before reselling them to older peers.

Q: What happened to Mikki Mase during juvenile incarceration?

Mase entered juvenile custody at age 15 and served 364 days, leaving at age 16. He describes the first institution as the worst place he ever experienced, even compared with adult jails. He reports violence, threats, staff-on-youth violence, physical and emotional abuse, and sexual assaults. He was transferred after six months, and both facilities were eventually closed.

Q: How did juvenile incarceration affect Mikki Mase's later behavior?

Mase says juvenile confinement established an unusually severe baseline for punishment. Because he believed no future institution could be worse, he stopped fearing legal consequences as he grew older. When facing adult arrests, he viewed adult jail as a better version of what he had already survived. He believes that reaction damaged his judgment and encouraged further reckless behavior.

Q: What education did Mikki Mase complete while incarcerated?

Mase did not graduate from high school through the conventional route, but he earned his GED while incarcerated. He also studied independently, took the SATs, and applied to five colleges as an incarcerated adult. He says every college accepted him. However, he could not attend because a parole violation prevented him from being released for school.

Q: How did Mikki Mase's father's federal case affect the family?

Mase says his family was doing well financially before his father became involved in a federal racketeering case. His father pleaded to mail fraud and bribery and served what Mase recalls as 60 months. During the same general period, the family lost what it had, Mase began living largely on his own, and his father eventually returned home to start over.

Q: How did Mikki Mase reportedly make more than $32 million gambling?

The supplied material states that Mase reportedly won more than $32 million at casinos, but the provided transcript excerpt does not explain the specific games, strategies, wagers, or accounting behind that total. The description says he rediscovered gambling after becoming a millionaire through rehabilitation businesses, selling those businesses, and choosing to live as a bachelor. It also mentions disputes involving Las Vegas without detailing them.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Mikki Mase describes growing up in New Jersey in a financially comfortable family until his father's federal racketeering case changed their circumstances. Gambling was already common at family gatherings, but Mase also began using marijuana and alcohol at about 11, then using and selling pills and marijuana at about 12.

• His escalating behavior led to repeated arrests and a 364-day juvenile sentence beginning at age 15. He calls the first juvenile institution the worst place he experienced, citing violence, threats, abuse, and sexual assaults within the facility. While incarcerated, he earned a GED, studied independently, took the SATs, and secured five college acceptances.

• According to the description, Mase later experienced homelessness and substance abuse before a friend provided housing and helped him become sober. Work painting rehabilitation facilities eventually led to encouragement to open his own facilities. He became a millionaire, sold the business, returned to gambling, and reportedly won more than $32 million at casinos.