Bruno Mars has made light of the gambling debt rumours that followed him for over a year, cracking a joke about it on stage as he kicked off his new Las Vegas residency tour.
The singer opened The Romantic Tour at Allegiant Stadium on 10 April, with Silk Sonic bandmate Anderson .Paak making a surprise appearance during the show.
In footage shared to social media, .Paak made a subtle reference to the debt story, saying: “I hate to make this about me, but when I think about how much debt, I mean how many steps it took to get here, I get emotional.”
Mars laughed and played right along.
“Andy, I’m sorry you’re going through all that,” he said. “See I’m debt-free, I paid the casino off a long time ago.”
The moment was a playful nod to a 2024 report claiming Mars had racked up a $50 million gambling debt with MGM Casino.
The story spread widely before MGM Resorts International moved to shut it down entirely.
“MGM and Bruno’s partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect,” the company said in a statement to the New York Post.
“Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM.”
The casino also took the opportunity to praise its relationship with the singer, whose Pinky Ring lounge operates at the Bellagio as part of their ongoing partnership.
It is not the first time Mars has referenced the rumours with a wink.
Last summer, after joining Rosé on stage to perform their collaboration APT., he shared a clip on Instagram with the caption: “Almost out of debt BehhhhhBehhhhh!!!”
The Las Vegas show clearly put him in good spirits, and if the debt jokes are anything to go by, he has made his peace with the story entirely.
