Famous Athletes Who Love Casinos
Sport and gambling have been strongly linked forever. Sports betting is the largest sector in the entire online gambling industry, both in terms of revenue and the number of people that participate in it. However, the reverse is also true. The popularity of gambling hasn’t been lost on famous athletes and many of them like to spend an occasional night in a casino. After all, what’s the use of being young and rich if you aren’t going to spend some of that money gambling?
Michael Jordan
His Airness once famously said that he doesn’t have a gambling problem. Instead, one of the most famous athletes of all time claimed he has a “competition problem”. Michael Jordan loved (and probably still does) to gamble. It didn’t matter on what or against whom, as long as there was a chance he could win, he was on it. He gambled on everything, from regular casino games to golf. He also wasn’t picky about his opponents. From his teammates and security guard to rich and famous, Jordan was obsessed with winning. From Atlantic City and Las Vegas to Monaco, Jordan toured famous casinos just like he toured America during his playing days. The amounts he bet were staggering, often reaching millions lost in a single night at a card table. Some rumors even claim that his first retirement was forced upon him by the NBA commissioner David Stern, in an effort to curb his gambling.
Wayne Rooney
The famous Man Utd and England’s footballer, Wayne Rooney was notorious for his gambling activities during his career. Rooney liked to gamble on horse and dog races, but he also frequented London’s casinos on a regular basis. He is also famous for falling for several online gambling scams. Had he bothered to read a few online casino reviews, like this Cobra Casino review, he might have saved quite a bit of money. On the other hand, he is the guy who famously lost £700,000 in a single day, betting on horses, so money is not really something that concerns him much. Some say that 235 Casino in Manchester still celebrates the day when Rooney visited them and lost £500,000 in just two hours playing roulette. He was compelled to seek help for his gambling addiction several times.
Charles Barkley
Another popular basketball player. Sir Charles loved to gamble. He stated that he doesn’t have a problem, as he can easily afford the losses and the moment he couldn’t, he would quit gambling forever. Playing golf for $10,000 per hole against Michael Jordan was a regular Tuesday for Barkley. According to his own admission, he lost more than $10 million on sports betting. His personal record was losing $2.5 million in just six hours during a night in Las Vegas. Barkley also got in legal trouble with The Wynn casino, when he refused to pay back a $400,000 marker. Only when threatened with criminal prosecution did he pay, plus some $40,000 in attorney fees. That incident made him reconsider his life and he quit gambling for almost two years. Unfortunately, the thrill of the action was too much and he is back at it in full swing.
Floyd Mayweather
Pound for pound, Floyd Mayweather is probably the best boxer in history. His ring days are over and he now owns a successful promotion company. One other thing he always claims he is very successful in is gambling. He regularly posted his betting slips online to prove how much money he has won. According to these slips, he made 46 consecutive successful bets between 2012 and 2012, winning around $4 million in the process. His biggest score is a $5.9 million bet on Miami Heat beating Indiana Pacers in the 2013 NBA playoffs. That one bet netted him some $6.5 million.