Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Finalize Divorce And Agree To Split Their For-Sale $68 Million Mansion

ByJoseph Gibsonon January 15, 2025inArticles›Celebrity News

Former Hollywood power couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez , by some strange coincidence, have finalized their divorce around the same time that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have done the same . Following the terms of their mutually agreed-upon arrangement, they will split the proceeds from their tough-to-sell Los Angeles mansion right down the middle.

Much has been made of Affleck and Lopez’s mansion’s possible “white elephant” status as a large, handsome, and very difficult-to-sell piece of architectural dead weight, as some experts have described it. They purchased it about a year ago for $60.8 million and have been trying to find a buyer for nearly six months, almost as long as they’ve been separated, which court documents show has been since April of last year.

MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images

Per the terms of their divorce, J-Lo and Affleck have agreed to “keep all of their personal belongings and earnings from the date of their separation as well as half their bank accounts,” while the proceeds from their hopefully soon sale of the mansion will be divided equally. Given the state of the market and the property’s own specific limitations, that may necessitate a drop in price, and it remains to be seen whether the couple will earn a profit on the home at all. Celebrity real estate agent Jason Oppenheim told Realtor.com last year that the property would likely not fetch its $68 million asking price when all was said and done, estimating it would go for somewhere between $58 million and $60 million. Of course, given the extremely short period the couple owned the home before attempting to sell it, breaking even compared to the $60.8 million they paid for the mansion wouldn’t be the worst imaginable outcome, particularly amid a divorce.

The mansion is particularly costly to maintain, with an estimated monthly bill of more than $280,000, factoring in property taxes, security expenses, estimated mortgage payments, and HOA fees. Then there’s the city of Los Angeles’s “mansion tax,” which comes to $3 million at the point of sale. So, breaking even might be easier said than done for the two.

Lopez is keeping all of her clothes and jewelry, as well as any “miscellaneous personal effects in her possession, custody or control,” and she’s not giving up any of her individual assets either. The same goes for Affleck, who will notably hold on to his stake in the Artists Equity production company he co-founded with Matt Damon .

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Ben Affleck’s Recent Vegas Banishment Could Have A Major Impact On Your Next Trip To Sin City

ByDan Farkason May 5, 2014inArticles›Celebrity News

Ben Affleck is good at making an impact. “Argo “won an Academy Award for Best Picture. “Gigli” is on a short list of worst movies ever. Twitter even hit legendary traffic numbers when Affleck was cast as Batman. Earlier this week Affleck made another big impact after being asked to leave a Hard Rock Casino blackjack table for allegedly counting cards. This latest example of player vs. table drama could have a far greater impact than on Ben’s future Vegas trips. It could actually make a huge difference in how millions of Americans gamble. Here’s why:

Ben Affleck / Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Background:

Most blackjack tables have six decks of cards in one chute. Counting cards isn’t illegal, but it can give players an advantage over the house. The more low cards in the deck, the better for the dealer. The more high cards in the deck, the better for the player.

If players are smart enough to remember which cards have been dealt, they can determine who has the advantage and just how big the advantage is. In elaborate schemes like " Bringing Down The House “, players will offer signals to others when the odds are in a someone’s favor. That person, or people, will come in with huge wagers, win big and leave. When done correctly, people can pocket millions of dollars .

As a result, casinos spend millions looking for elaborate card counting schemes and can ban players for trying to circumvent the system. This is what multiple published reports say happened to Affleck, who was still allowed to stay at the casino. Others have been less fortunate.

So What’s the Big Deal?

Players counting cards are more common now than ever, in part because of the media publicity surrounding it. The difference now is that many national media voices are asking what’s wrong with counting cards in the first place. Again, counting cards isn’t illegal but casinos do have the right to ask players to stop playing. This is the delicate balance casinos must face every day:

• They want to offer a chance at winning money.

• They must maintain a house advantage in order to pay the bills.

• Card counting changes the odds into the player’s favor.

• More people know how to do it and avoid getting caught.

Blackjack is the most popular casino table game. If noted gaming bloggers like David Purnam are right in saying Affleck has exposed a structural flaw in the game, the gaming world as we know it has a real issue on its hands. It’s the Phil Ivey issue on steroids.

What’s Next:

If the odds aren’t in the casino’s favor, they will be soon enough. Among the changes that some casinos have already implemented:

• A blackjack pays 6/5 instead of 2/1 odds. Think about winning 6 vs. 10 bucks on a blackjack.

• Dealers must hit on a soft 17. This gives the dealer a better chance of making a bigger hand.

• Larger or smaller chutes.

• Cards being dealt face down to make counting harder if not impossible.

• Fewer blackjack tables

All of these impact the gaming experience, be it winning or having fun. How many of these changes are seen immediately remains to be seen. But casinos aren’t going to keep delivering a gaming experience that doesn’t have a house advantage. If Ben Affleck can break the system and show the world just how easily it can be done, more will try. That reality will change the way casinos operate and cause an impact far greater than any movie. Even Gigli.

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