In 2004, Bloom moved to Los Angeles and found work as a bartender. That year 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 own business, registering Molly Bloom Inc. as an event and catering company to host poker tournaments. By 2008, the games had graduated to private homes and hotels like the
Peninsula Beverly Hills, with
hands going as high as $4 million. In addition to Maguire, 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. Bloom was dubbed the "Poker Princess" by the
tabloids for her game-hosting reputation in Los Angeles. Around 2009, she moved to New York where she began organizing games.
Illegal gambling conviction 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.
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 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. In December 2013, Bloom pleaded guilty to charges of running illegal poker games. At the sentencing, Bloom's lawyer,
Jim Walden, told the court that Bloom made about $1 million from tips and her cut of the
poker pot, much of which was used to tip other employees, and was deeply in debt. He stated that Bloom had originally "been ordered into the gambling business" by her boss at a Los Angeles real estate company. 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.
Jessica Chastain plays the role of Molly Bloom. The film received a
2018 Academy Award nomination in the category of
Best Adapted Screenplay. Beginning in 2022, Bloom was an executive producer and the host of two seasons of
Torched, a podcast series exploring controversial Olympic events and other sports stories. The show, produced by
FilmNation, is described as a "mix of documentary-style storytelling and interviews with athletes." == Personal life ==