Poker professional, Instagram star and self-proclaimed “asshole,” Dan Bilzerian lives a life of luxury and excess that is envied and admired by fans around the world. The former military veteran, car racer and entrepreneur is known for his controversial social media posts, financial success and his more recent breakout into the cannabis industry.
The 37-year-old was pretty much unheard before the year 2007. However, the star became an almost instant celebrity in the gambling world when he rolled up to a casino in Lake Tahoe, US, with a suitcase full of money looking to take on poker pros and high stakes.
This risky move was the beginning of a successful poker career. Bilzerian rose through the ranks, applying his knowledge of poker and coming in 180th place in the 2009 World Series of Poker and then going on to win impressive sums of money, including over $10 million in one night in 2013 and an alleged $50 million throughout the year 2014. After videos of him at the 2013 poker series emerged online and went viral, Bilzerian’s lavish lifestyle became a fascination to many.
While there are rumors that much of Dan Bilzerian’s fortune comes from a generous trust fund rather than his poker, the star’s life is still a great curiosity to many. He is the son of Paul Bilzerian, a corporate raider and convicted fraud felon. His father was forced to pay $60 million dollars in fines for his fraudulent activities, however, it is rumored that he has
escaped repaying much of the money through using complex financial arrangements and by setting up trust funds for his sons Dan and Adam.
Described as the Hugh Hefner of the social media era, Dan’s glamorous lifestyle revolves around supermodels, private jets, fast cars and endless amounts of fun and debauchery.
Bilzerian’s influence in the cannabis industry
Dan Bilzerian is becoming an influential figure in cannabis culture, however, questions have been raised as to whether his actions are helping or hindering this rapidly growing industry.
Smoking his first joint at the age of eleven, Bilzerian is a well-known advocate for the green stuff. He became interested in the health benefits and CBD after speaking with a child suffering from cancer, whose quality of life had been greatly improved by it. He has cited some of the benefits as pain reduction, injury prevention, improving sleep and helping to manage anxiety.
Passionate about cannabis culture and cashing in on a growing market, Bilzerian has set up his very own CBD brand selling premium CBD oil, CBD vape products, vaping accessories, and apparel. The Ignite store promises high quality, safe products that have been grown, cultivated and manufactured by experienced industry-leading partners.
The influencer has used his business acumen and access to vast amounts of capital to make his mark in the cannabis industry. He co-founded Green Axis Capital Corp with the aim of creating the world’s first global cannabis brand.
Bilzerian has shared his disdain for some of the current cannabis regulations in the US and Canada. He has revealed that his firearms license was revoked because of his involvement in the industry. As a four-year military veteran who was honorably discharged, the star feels that the current regulations are unfair and discriminatory towards cannabis users. The influencer is a strong believer in the global legalization of the product and has now started to introduce his CBD products to the European and UK markets, where cannabis legislation is
even stricter.
His controversial marketing decisions for the Ignite brand.
In 2018, the entrepreneur launched his one million dollar Ignite spokesmodel search on Instagram. In true Blizerian style, the campaign aimed to find ten supermodels to represent the brand. The selected models went on to star in a number of tongue-in-cheek billboard ads for his CBD products.
One ad featured two women in bikinis hugging one another with the caption “best buds”, while another featured a model in underwear alongside a goat eating grass and was captioned “nice grass.” While many Blizerian fans and cannabis users appreciated the puns, it prompted some outrage in the local and national media due to its overly sexualized
images.
Some in the industry have questioned whether his marketing approach is in keeping with where cannabis culture is heading. While these advertisements appeal to young men, in particular, they seem to ignore the growing market of female and LGBT+ cannabis users.
Blizerian’s investments into the cannabis production and dispensing, as well as his clever yet controversial marketing tactics, and worldwide fame has helped to bring global attention to the industry and to cannabis culture in general. While his brand is not inclusive of all those who use cannabis, it is still bringing in awareness and much-needed investment.
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