Ben Affleck Was Just Spotted In A Setting That He's Avoided For Years

Ben Affleck has been beyond busy these days. After proposing to his now-fiancée Jennifer Lopez for a second time, the pair has been searching for the perfect Los Angeles home to move into together as they begin to blend their families. According to Entertainment Tonight, the duo originally purchased a $55 million dollar Bel Air home, but it fell out of escrow in April and caused them to go back to the drawing board. The famous couple has checked out the Spelling Manor, infamously known as "The Manor," in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, as well as several other properties. 

A source told Entertainment Tonight that Affleck and Lopez can't wait to live together. "Jen and Ben are excited to further solidify their relationship and take this next step," the insider said. "At this point, they know they are meant to be together and they are prepared to elevate their relationship in this way and include their families in the process and bring everyone together as a healthy unit."

While finding a house and planning their dream wedding are amongst Bennifer's main priorities, the pair still has individual aspirations of their own. Lopez is gearing up to release her action-packed Netflix film "Mother" later this year, according to Entertainment Weekly, while Affleck is returning to some past hobbies for the first time in awhile. In fact, he was recently spotted somewhere that he hasn't been in several years.

Ben Affleck puts his cards on the table

While his relationship with Jennifer Lopez appears to be his main priority right now, Ben Affleck also has his eyes on another prize. The actor was spotted arriving at the Hollywood Park Casino in May to take part in a No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament, according to the Daily Mail. According to the outlet, Affleck was banned in 2014 from competing at The Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas for being "too good" at blackjack. Although it is not illegal, security believed that he was counting cards at the time and told him he could no longer play blackjack there. Now, the actor is taking his talents to an Inglewood casino for a competitive poker tournament.

In a 2014 interview with Vanity Fair, Affleck spoke about being "banned" from the Vegas casino. "I took some time to learn the game and became a decent blackjack player. And once I became decent, the casinos asked me not to play blackjack," he said. "I mean, the fact that being good at the game is against the rules at the casinos should tell you something about casinos."

While the actor has not been spotted at a casino in years, Affleck hasn't stopped playing cards. In fact, he hosted a major poker event with close friend Matt Damon during the pandemic for charity. The friends and their celebrity competitors raised around $1.75 million which they donated to Feeding America, according to People.