Molly Bloom (born April 21, 1978) is an American entrepreneur, speaker,^[1] and author of the 2014 memoir Molly's Game. She had trained for years to become an Olympic skier, but was injured while trying to qualify for the Olympics.

In April 2013, she was charged with running a high-stakes poker game that originated in the Viper Room in Los Angeles, which attracted wealthy people, sports figures, and Hollywood celebrities.^[2] In May 2014, after pleading guilty to reduced charges, she was sentenced to one year of probation, a $200,000 fine, and 200 hours of community service.^[3] In addition, she was required to forfeit $125,000 in earnings from the games she operated.^[3]

A film adaptation of her book, Molly's Game, starring Jessica Chastain and directed by Aaron Sorkin, debuted in December 2017.^[4]

Early life

Bloom was born on April 21, 1978, and grew up in Loveland, Colorado. Her father, Larry Bloom, is a clinical psychologist and a professor at Colorado State University.^[5] Her mother, Char, was a ski and snowboard instructor and a professional fly-fisher with her clothing line.^[6] Bloom's father is Jewish and her mother is Christian.^[7] Her brothers are Jordan Bloom, a cardiac surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital,^[8] and Jeremy Bloom, an American Olympic skier and professional American football player with the Philadelphia Eagles.^[9] She was a competitive skier and at one time ranked third in Nor-Am Cup season ranking for women's moguls skiers; she later suffered an injury while trying to qualify for the Olympics.^[10] She attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.^[11]

Career

In 2004, Bloom moved to Los Angeles and found work as a bartender. In 2004, Darin Feinstein, one of the co-owners of The Viper Room nightclub, was approached by actor Tobey Maguire about hosting a high-stakes poker game in the club's basement. Feinstein recruited Bloom to cater to the players and manage the game. In 2007, Bloom started her business, registering Molly Bloom Inc. as an event and catering company to host poker tournaments.^[12] By 2008, the games had graduated to private homes and hotels like the Peninsula Beverly Hills, with hands going as high as $4 million.^[13] In addition to Maguire, many wealthy people, celebrities and sports figures were known to frequent the games including Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Gores, Macaulay Culkin, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Alex Rodriguez, Nelly, Mary Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Phil Ivey, Rick Salomon and Andy Beal.^[14]

Arrest and sentencing

In 2011, one of Bloom's games in Los Angeles was shut down as part of a bankruptcy investigation into a Ponzi scheme run by Bradley Ruderman, one of the players.^[15]

On April 16, 2013, Bloom was arrested and charged along with 33 others as part of a $100 million money laundering and illegal sports gambling operation.^[2] Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, charged 12 people with racketeering. Others were charged with money laundering, extortion, fraud and operating illegal poker rooms in New York City. Bloom, who was 34 then, faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, six years of supervised release, a fine of $1.5 million or twice the amount gained from the crimes or twice the amount lost by victims, and a $200 special assessment.^[16][17]

In May 2014, Bloom pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to one year of probation and 200 hours of community service. At the sentencing, Bloom's lawyer, Jim Walden, told the court that Bloom was in severe debt which included forfeiting $125,000 in poker proceeds as part of the plea.^[3] He stated that Bloom had "been ordered into the gambling business" by her boss at a Los Angeles real estate company,^[3] then went on to create her own illegal poker game in New York in 2009.^[3]

Book and film

Bloom's memoir about her experiences, Molly's Game, was published in 2014.^[18]

A film adaptation of the book, also called Molly's Game, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 8, 2017.^[19] Jessica Chastain plays the role of Molly Bloom.^[20] The film received a 2018 Academy Award nomination in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay.^[21]