Russian billionaire lost his $175 million superyacht in a bet to his buddy

This is a story that might seem far-fetched but it is quite as true — as this billionaire once lost his $175 million superyacht to his buddy on a bet.

The 370-foot superyacht is called the Le Grand Bleu.

Initially, owned by John McCaw Jr, an American businessman, the yacht was later sold to Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich.

However, Abramovich only had the superyacht for four years before losing it to his friend in a game of poker.

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$175 million superyacht lost on a bet

Roman Abramovich is quite well-known for placing bets and his luxurious lifestyle.

As the story goes, he got the Le Grand Bleu superyacht in 2002 from John McCaw Jr.

Unfortunately, in June 2006, Abramovich sat across from his friend of many decades, Eugene Shvidler.

They played a game of poker and it seems like Abramovich didn’t have the best of luck.

He lost the Le Grand Bleu which was his wager to Shvidler.

However, it’s just one of the many superyachts in Abramovich’s fleet.

Le Grand Bleu parked at the Statue of Liberty

Since its handover, the superyacht has had some adventures of its own with Shvidler.

Back in 2017, the Le Grand Bleu found herself anchored right in front of the Statue of Liberty.

It was done to avoid paying the astronomical daily fee for renting a spot large enough to anchor it at the marina.

Obviously, many tourists and locals had a thing or two to say about it.

“It’s the people’s statue versus a person’s private boat,” said Roland Lewis, president of the non-profit Waterfront Alliance.

Despite losing his $175 million superyacht, Abramovich had many other vessels in his fleet.

He also holds the record for buying one of the most expensive items ever sold on eBay, a $168 million superyacht.

It seems that the Russian oligarch certainly likes his yachts.