Sports lovers are usually curious about how sports gambling affects those directly involved in football games. If you’re living in a country where sports gambling is regulated, you’d most likely have friends that engage in punting if you aren’t a bettor yourself. Nevertheless, have you ever thought about how sports betting is for footballers and coaches?
FIFA, the most prominent body in football, constantly strives to keep the game pure. That’s why there are regulations surrounding betting activities to ensure the game remains fair. These regulations have to be adhered to by footballers, managers, referees, and other club personnel.
However, in the past, some footballers have tried to get around these guidelines to engage in sports gambling. Most of the time, they’ve been caught and penalized for violating these regulations.
Casino gaming is available to those directly involved in the football space since it doesn’t affect the outcome of games. That’s why they visit top-rated online casinos like those listed on www.casinologinca.com as a pastime activity.
Here is the list of football athletes who frequent online casinos and their land-based counterparts:
Wayne Rooney
The ex-captain of the English football team, Wayne Rooney, was known to frequent casino gaming during his prime years. The Manchester United striker revealed that he began to enjoy casino games when he started engaging in them.
According to him, he experienced a lot of success in his early days as a bettor. In time, he threw aside bankroll management techniques and lost a lot of money to casino games. When this happened, he started to chase his losses, leading to even more losses.
The rumors swirling around at the time said that he lost an estimated 500,000 pounds to casino betting. It was widespread news in 2008 when he lost 65,000 pounds in less than two hours at poker.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Even if you’re not a football fan, you should be familiar with Ronaldo’s name. Cristiano, a 5-time Ballon d’Or winner, who is arguably one of the best footballers to play the game occasionally, enjoys a game of poker. He has even revealed his fondness for poker.
During his prime, Ronaldo stated that he played poker because it engages the cognitive areas of the brain. He views poker as a highly competitive and mental game and is adept at winning poker events. Although he visits conventional casinos at the end of the football season, he also plays poker remotely from an online casino.
Kyle Lafferty
The Kilmarnock player loved arcade games before starting his professional football career. Kyle extensively engaged in slot games and online roulette. He’s well-known to be a high-roller at the casinos he frequents.
Gerard Pique
If you’re a Barcelona fan, the name Gerard Pique should be familiar to you. Pique was one of the most crucial parts of the famous football style, fondly called tiki-taka. He’s also popular in the wider footballing space because of his defensive abilities, which made him one of the top centre-backs in his prime.
Shakira fans are also conversant with the footballer’s name since he dated her for a while before they broke up. Pique’s casino gaming activities stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some expert casino players.
He played poker for several years and has experienced some success in the game. Even though he’s not a professional casino gamer, he has hit about three big jackpots in less than ten years. Because of the adrenaline rush, he plays poker in both land-based and online casinos.
Neymar
Neymar is one of the most famous footballers in the world and is highly regarded as the best player after Messi and Ronaldo in their prime. He’s also a flashy Brazilian player and has led the national team to several successes. He plies his trade in France since he’s signed to Paris Saint-Germain.
A long period of football has to be complemented by leisure periods. One of the ways he spends his free time is to play poker with fellow footballers like Pique and Ronaldo. He also plays online poker and watches major tournaments.
He’s excellent at poker games, even though he indulges in them for fun. Besides tearing up the crowd during football games, he won a significant amount in 2019 at a poker game.
David Bentley
David Bentley made his name as a footballer at Arsenal. He retired when he moved to Blackburn Rovers in 2014. At the time, he revealed that he had lost a passion for the game.
However, he turned to casino gaming after his retirement to spark excitement. He started when he was a teenager and became better over the years.
Footballers are restricted from engaging in sports betting so that the sport remains fair. Nevertheless, players have no restrictions on casino gaming and some frequent online casinos. They include Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, David Bentley, and Rooney.
