Gambling skills – There are plenty of top footballers who love to play casino games like roulette, poker and blackjack during their spare time.
In many cases they prefer to play at the top online casinos such as Casino Billions Ireland because it is almost the same experience as visiting a real-life casino but they can do it anonymously.
Read on as we look at some of the footballers who have played casino games.
Tony Cascarino
Cascarino enjoyed a successful career as a footballer, playing over 600 games for the likes of Millwall, Aston Villa, Celtic, Chelsea and Marseille.
He was also capped 88 times by the Republic of Ireland and featured at two World Cups in 1990 and 1994.
Since hanging up his boots Cascarino has become a hugely successful poker player, winning nearly $600,000 in live tournaments.
In addition to his poker exploits, Cascarino is still involved in football and regularly features as a pundit on national radio.
David Bentley
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers star started gambling at an early age, with his father allowing him to place bets on horses and dogs during his teenage years.
When he became a professional footballer Bentley continued to bet, using online bookmakers for sports betting and casinos to play blackjack and poker.
He eventually fell out of love with football and the high-life, retiring from the game aged just 29 before moving to Spain with wife Kimberley.
Bentley still enjoys playing blackjack, but sticks to games with his friends and family rather than taking on the professionals.
Shay Given
Former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given used his love of poker and blackjack to raise thousands of pounds for charity.
Given famously hosted an event at St James’ Park in aid of the Newcastle United Foundation, the Shay Given Foundation and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Members of Irish pop band Westlife and soul singer Beverley Knight were amongst the celebrities in attendance at an event designed to make a real difference to people’s lives.
The ex-Newcastle stopper was eager to raise funds for Macmillan after his mum Agnes died from cancer when he was five and casino games gave him the perfect vehicle to do just that.
