Gambling has always created many problems for footballers. Various high-level players have spoken publicly about the fact that gambling can lead to financial loss and emotional trauma. Most football stars feel a lack of adrenaline during training and at home. The lack of strong emotions encourages athletes to try their luck, for example at sports betting and casino games, where the adrenaline rises. Premier League stars bet up to £100,000 on sports betting websites and online casino games, and some players even have their own bookmaker who visits the training base. Unsuccessful players are among those who gamble most often. This way, they replace the pleasure they get from playing football. Among the most popular types of gambling among footballers are sports betting, casino, poker and blackjack mentions Gameseek.co.uk.
Let’s recall some of the most famous footballers who are addicted to gambling.
Michael Chopra
Michael Chopra claims to have spent £ 20,000 a day on gambling. In the end, he lost about 2 million pounds. The attacker agreed to be treated for gambling addiction after admitting that he signed a contract with Sunderland only because of the high salary that could cover his large debts.
“The first bet is the worst. The more I win, the more I bet. Sometimes I bet £ 20,000 a day. As soon as I went out on the field, I was completely focused on football. But in the locker room, I immediately picked up the phone to see if I was winning, “says Chopra.
Matthew Etherington
The former Stoke City player has admitted that he lost more than 1.5 million pounds playing poker and betting on dog races. Etherington says gambling is so popular with players that he and his teammates could easily lose a weekly salary on betting.
“It happens in football, but it’s hard to guess who exactly does it. Take, for example, an alcoholic or drug addict – when you look at a person, you can immediately know that something is wrong with him. However, this is not the case with a footballer. I haven’t told anyone about my adventures. “Most people don’t even know what my debts are,” Etherington said.
David Bentley
David Bentley, a former Tottenham and West Ham player has been very addicted to gambling. He says his first visit to a bookmaker was at the age of 14. However, David does not have the habit of betting steadily until he starts earning good money.
“I bet on everything. At first the sums were small, then hundreds, then thousands. First you want to win 100 pounds, then all 100,000. When I woke up in the morning, the first thing I wanted to do was to bet, so football went into the background. I just had to bet, “admits Bentley.
Dominic Mateo
Dominic Mateo is a former Liverpool player who told the press in 2011 that he had lost a million pounds in gambling. Mateos says his addiction is caused by boredom. He once bet £ 100,000 on a horse, and eventually lost.
“I think this is a big problem for the players. I would say it is an epidemic. The problem of gambling is a natural problem nowadays. One day I opened an account on my phone. Then I started betting thousands of pounds a day. “
Gianluigi Buffon
Italians love to gamble so much that even stars like Gianluigi Buffon are often seen in casinos betting on casino games. The goalkeeper has twice been accused of making illegal bets – before the 2006 FIFA World Cup and in 2012, when bets totaling 1.5m euros were reported.
Buffon was later acquitted, but he never hid his love of gambling. He was even a PokerStars ambassador for a while.
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