7 Football Stars You Might Spot in a Casino
It’s not uncommon to spot a famous footballer in the casino on a night out. They have tons of money to gamble, and casino games can be just as competitive. It’s considered a sport after all, so why wouldn’t athletes turn to the tables to test their luck and skill? Online gambling is also common with many of the names on this list. Read on to see if your favourite football star can be spotted in a casino.
Mario Balotelli
Mario’s favourite casino game is the roulette table where he once reportedly won almost R500,000. This Italian striker for the Süper Lig club is known as a big tipper at the table, and often gives some of his winnings to the homeless people he comes across outside the casinos. He might be considered a fiery and aggressive player on the field, but Balotelli has a soft heart.
With a net worth of over R1.2 billion, this avid roulette player once gave R20,000 to a waitress at his favourite casino in Manchester. This is a regular habit anytime he enjoys a night out playing casino games.
Kyle Lafferty
This striker for the Hearts Northern Ireland football team loved the arcades when he was a teenager. He learnt to play those fun fruit swiping games and slots games, but later went on to gamble with the roulette table. His passion quickly grew to the higher stakes types of casino games. He soon got into other types of betting to pass his free time, after signing a R58 million contract with the Rangers.
Cristiano Ronaldo
This is a name every football fan knows intimately. Considered one of the best football players and general athletes in the world, Ronaldo is a major fan of poker. This star footballer believes that poker is very competitive and takes skill, so he naturally found a passion in the game. He can often be seen over the holidays in a casino, but he plays most of his poker games using an online casino from home.
It’s unclear how much this star has won playing poker, but he is considered to be extremely good at it. He has competed among some of the top poker players in the World Championship series. Ronaldo’s favourite online gambling site is Play Live casino. This online platform can be reviewed with Online Casino Review, where you will find unbiased reviews of most slots games, as well as roulette, blackjack, and poker. Online Casino Review can help you find the best platforms in South Africa to play slots, baccarat, and more.
Neymar
Another striker from Brazil, Neymar is one of the best football players in the world, but he loves playing poker too. He can often be seen with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and enjoys playing online poker when he isn’t out on the town. Sometimes Neymar can be seen supporting his fellow football friends instead of playing, but he did compete in the 2015 European Poker Tour.
Although it’s just a fun pastime for him, Neymar is considered a very good poker player with keen skills. Not only has Neymar scored more than 300 goals on the pitch, but he has also won close to R300,000 in the 2019 Brazilian Series of Poker.
Wayne Rooney
The great Englishman that plays for the USA likes to spend his time in casinos and his losses are quite substantial. In 2017 he lost R9 million in just two hours. Rooney stated that placing bets was so easy and, to combat boredom, he started to gamble. He reported that it didn’t feel like real money when he lost his winnings, and his casino nights soon turned into an addiction.
James Maddison
Midfielder James Maddison from Leicester City regularly visits casinos in his area. He was recently removed from his football team due to health concerns but has taken up playing different casino games since. Maddison enjoys a night out with friends playing poker and other famous casino games to pass the time. He is known for having great self-discipline and has become rather skilled on the tables.
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Not only is this Swedish football legend great at the game, but he also loves gambling so much at casinos that he became the ambassador for the Swedish company Bethard. Ibrahimović likes to bet on races the most but he can be found behind the roulette and poker tables on casino night. Zlatan took it a step further and even has a Maltese online gambling website that he owns, and seems to make quite a pretty penny from.
All of these football stars are famous for being great players of the sport, but many don’t know that they love a good old casino night just like anyone else. These professionals have shown the world that they are more skilled than just kicking a ball around and some have won crazy amounts in casino tournaments.