5 Premier League Football Players Who Gambled

Among football players, there are often individuals who like gambling and use it as an escape from their everyday lives. For some, it is a great way to pass the time and for those players who don’t earn millions per year, gambling can also be a good way to supplement their income. Many footballers choose to hide their passion for gambling and to avoid blocking their personal accounts, they often use online casinos that are not included in the Gamstop list. You can find good casinos not on Gamstop UK through various services or reviews.

The relationship between passion and football

Most footballers need an adrenaline rush. They receive this hormone through participation in their footballing activities. But for some people, they need to seek excitement while they’re away from the pitch so many go to online casinos in order to experience an additional spectrum of emotions. Some other players use this kind of entertainment for moral relaxation and to take their mind away from the stresses of top flight football. Either option brings a lot of positives for the players.

Rating of the most gambling football players

At least one football player from every national team or club in any territory will have played casino games. Many do it in secret but there are individuals who do not hide their passion. Some players are very open about their love for gambling.

Top 5 most gambling football players in the world:

• Gary Neville;
• Wayne Rooney;
• Dominic Matteo;
• Paul Merson;
• Joey Barton.

Gary Neville

Neville played for Premier League giants Manchester United for several years and he openly talks about his close relationship with gambling while playing for club and country. The former full-back claims several members of his squad were addicted to gambling and he admits to losing a huge amount of money playing at online casinos. Neville was able to quit his habit and went on to write a book about his gambling issues.

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney is one of the most famous English footballers of the past 30 years and he made his name during a spell at Manchester United – where he played alongside Gary Neville. Like his former team-mate, Rooney loved to gamble at casinos, bookmakers or even on the team coach on the way to games. It’s been reported that Rooney once lost £65,000 in just one night at a casino.

Dominic Matteo

The former centre-back was best known for his time playing with Liverpool and Stoke City. Matteo earned his money playing in the Premier League but unfortunately he blew it all gambling. He once recorded a huge win at a bookies but lost far more than he ever won and was eventually declared bankrupt. Matteo ended his football career in a lot of debt and he’s one of the examples of how gambling problems can go badly wrong.

Paul Merson

Like Matteo, Paul Merson is another high profile example of a top class football who lost his fortune to gambling. During his time playing for Arsenal, Merson was known to be a huge gambler and there was a large group of the squad who would bet thousands on card games while they were travelling to away matches. Merson eventually went public to admit he was a gambling addict and had lost millions. He’s now managed to turn his life around and is a successful football pundit.

Joey Barton

Joey Barton played for Premier League teams such as Newcastle United and Burnley but he was sanctioned by the Football Association for making illegal bets on football matches. This ended his career in the national team and Barton latter admitted he had lost a lot of his earning from football gambling.

Summarising

Many football players feel the need to gamble due to strong physical and mental stress associated with playing at the top level. For the everyday person, online casinos can be a source of enjoyment if they are used in moderation and people only gamble with money they can afford to lose. Unfortunately, for some young footballers who become millionaires at an early age, they have the money to place huge bets and end up losing their fortunes.