Footballers With A Passion For Gambling

The world has seen many instances where famous people and athletes have indulged in the alluring and entertaining dimension of gambling and casinos. But this wealth doesn’t stop them from playing a little hand here or waging a bet because betting and live casino games are not always about money, but the thrill and excitement it brings with it. On that note, it seems obvious and quite alright, as to why celebrities bet and gamble. Here is a brief list of famous football players who have a passion for gambling and casinos.

FAMOUS FOOTBALLERS WHO GAMBLE

Here are some players who coddle in betting and casinos.

Wayne Rooney has had a quite publicised loss at a Roulette table that has made his name somewhat synonymous to the gambling world.

Gerard Pique, the star defender for Barcelona and Spain has fiddled with poker with some passion. He won several poker tournaments at the international level before taking a back seat from the arena of gambling.

Matthew Etherington was acutely agonised from gambling fixation and has spent over £1.5 pounds on poker.

Gigi Buffon, who was also the ambassador of an online poker site has exhausted most of his career at Juventus.

Paul Merson, ex-Arsenal forward, lost £7 million on betting at casino studios at the peak of his career.

David Beckham, the all-time mega ambassador of football who has played in teams such as Real Madrid and Milan, got keenly interested in betting in casinos. Not only he plays at the casino studios, but he is also involved in the gambling business as an ambassador for many casino companies in countries like Singapore and few others.

It is not a hidden fact that the football players who are majorly passionate about betting and casinos are mostly English. Manchester United’s forward player Michael Owen has lost 30,000 pounds.

Many of these players and management people are most interested in and enjoy wagering. Coaches like Bert wan Marwijk and Jimmy Floyd have actively participated in sporting events wagers.

HOW BETTING HAS RISKED THEIR CAREERS

Due to their status and public appeal and the mindset of the society towards betting, some football players have faced career risks because of gambling. Like Dominic Matteo, the former Leeds and Liverpool player was stated bankrupt after having debts of more than £1M due to betting. Joey Barton was banned for 18 months after placing bets on football for 10 years. Bradley, a famous Canadian player was banned as well for 6 years on the charge of match-fixing and gambling.

SHOULD FOOTBALLERS BE JUDGED FOR THEIR PREFERENCES?

Now the major question that arises is, should a high profile and esteemed footballer be coupled to a gambling dispute? Footballers are well known, prominent sportsmen and people idolise them. People are socially connected to them and many of the people are raising their doubts on their wants of sterling in spite of owning abundant possessions. But this seems a little unfair, as each person, no matter how famous, should have a certain amount of freedom to do things of his/her desire, as far as they are legal. And people’s inspiration from them should remain till these player’s sporting exploits.

But still keeping their image and the social perception in mind, many players avoid going to casino studios and expend their time at live casino games and poker rooms so that their identity remains confidential and it would not matter if a player wins or loses and they would not have to be red-faced about it. Also, this will help them to have a clean image.