At one point in life, people choose different things as hobbies because they love doing them. For some, it could be spending time doing something creative, while for others, playing games online and getting Freshcasinobonus feels just about right. Whatever the choice is, there is always more than one person interested and that makes it even more fun – for instance, the latter. It shouldn’t be surprising that football players are also interested in gambling, even as they display their abilities on the field. And over the years, some of these players have suffered excessive gambling and dealt with it, while a good number are still interested in it. Below is a list of football players who are into gambling.
Gianlugi Buffon
Gianlugi Buffon is an Italian professional footballer and goalkeeper. He is a captain of the Serie B football club, Parma and has been recognised as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He started his career in 1995 and so far, has made over 1,000 appearances, making him quite famous in the football world. Some of this goalkeeper’s best achievements include winning the Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, and UEFA Cup. He was also regarded in 2001 as the best goalkeeper with the highest world record fee after he joined Juventus.
However, as successful as Gianlugi was, he found himself a lot involved in gambling just like many other Italian sportsmen in various sports betting and match-fixing scandals. In 2006 and 2012, the goalkeeper was suspected of participating in illegal gambling after making a total bet of €1.5 Million. After a back and forth trial, he wasn’t found guilty – however, he was not one to hide his love for gambling. As a matter of fact, he struck a deal with PokerStars, and became their ambassador. By 2019, Gianlugi Buffon became the inspiration for many bookmakers that there was a betting line for his predictions.
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney is one of the world’s famous English professional football players. He was once a player for Everton (2002 to 2004), Manchester United (2004 to 2017), Everton (2017 to 2018), D.C. United, and Derby County. He played midfield and forward throughout his career and was great at it. In his lifetime, he has won about 16 trophies, making him the only football player to have won the Premier League, League Cup, Fifa Club World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and many others. He also received other awards such as a 5-time Premier League Player of the Month, FWA Footballer of the Year, and PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
With such a successful career, Wayne Rooney has a strange interest in gambling. He once lost over €65K in two hours at a poker table – it was one of the biggest news in 2008. But that didn’t stop the English player from gambling – he continued even in neighbouring casinos – once he was in Manchester with the national team and the next thing, he found himself at a table. Rooney never had much luck come to him, as he suffered major losses in Blackjack and Roulette games. However, who could resist enjoying the game at such amazing venues as Circa Hotel and Casino?
David Bentley
David Michael Bentley is another footballer who is into gambling. He was a professional English footballer until his retirement – he played as a winger, second striker, and a central midfielder. He started his career with Arsenal in 2001 but joined other clubs such as Norwich City, Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United, and FC Rostov along the line. He joined most of these clubs on loan. However, he retired in 2014 after expressing his disinterest in football.
The England-born footballer had something else he was passionate about asides from football. He loved betting – one time, he confessed placing his first bet when he was 14. So, as he started making money off football, he spent a good part of it placing bets on games like poker, horse racing, and tables/cards such as Baccarat and Blackjack. It was only a matter of time before David Bentley became addicted to gambling. However, he had the support of his long-time girlfriend to overcome this strange passion. In subsequent years, he made a few appearances on the European Poker Tour but never participated in the games.
Michael Chopra
Another former English professional football cut between the crosshairs of football and gambling is Michael Chopra. He started his youth career with Newscastle and played as a forward throughout. He was with Newscastle for six years as a senior player until he joined other clubs – even on loan. Some of those clubs include Watford, Cardiff City, Nottingham Forest, Blackpool, Alloa Athletic, Sunderland, and Kerala Blasters. He was also on England’s national team until his retirement.
Michael Chopra is currently a subject of suspicious betting under the British Horseracing Authority Investigation. He started betting when he was 17 years old and suffered from excessive gambling. The footballer was reported to have gambled away over €2 Million throughout his career – one time, he gambled €30K on his way to a game while he was in Newcastle. The English footballer showed interest in Poker and table/card games like Roulette, Baccarat, and Blackjack. They are especially attractive in such magical places as Las Vegas.
Scott Davies
Scott Davies is also one of the few names that definitely has a thing for gambling. The Irish footballer started his career as a youth player for Watford and then proceeded to Wycombe Wanderers and Reading. He became a senior player thereafter and played for many clubs including Oxford City, Oxford United, Harlow Town, Harlow Town, and Beaconsfield Town. He played midfield and defence throughout his career. He is currently playing for Slough Town.
The Irish player’s gambling passion began when he got his first pay cheque from playing football. Scott would gamble his money away playing poker and card games at casinos. Like Rooney, Scott never had much luck, as he made huge losses playing games at casinos. However, he was able to recognise it and decided to work on it. Today, he makes appearances in different clubs across England as an ambassador for EPIC Risk Management to discuss the consequences of gambling and how to overcome the strange passion.
Other known football players who are into gambling are Dominic Matthew, Paul Merson, Kenny Sansom, Eidur, Gudjohn, and James Maddison. There are also rumors of popular names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, and Diego Maradona being involved in this activity.
Conclusion
Looking for football players who are into gambling? There you have them listed above. Everyone has strange hobbies but for these footballers, playing casino games or gambling is IT for them. And while some of them have actively tried to stop because it started consuming them too much, some still keep a level of sanity when playing. Overall, safe gambling is important for everyone.
