The Biggest Casino Players in UK Football

We see footballers on the pitch for hours every week and many people idolise and admire their favourite players. When a footballer has hobbies off the pitch, people often find it interesting to see what they get up to. Quite often, we don’t know that much about the players we see wearing our team’s colours.

Undeniably, playing casino games is a hobby that plenty of footballers have. A lot of the time, we only know about the casino players who are spending a lot of time in casinos in person. With online casinos, such as Casumo, there are plenty of options for players to log in and play poker, slots, and other games online.

Let’s dive into some of the players, past and present, who have been known to enjoy casino games.

James Maddison

James Maddison was targeted by some of the tabloids when he was spotted playing in a casino in spite of the fact that he had pulled out of an England squad due to illness.

Footballers are allowed to visit casinos and do what they wish (within reason) in their spare time. The in-demand midfielder is thought to enjoy blackjack, as well as other casino games. Perhaps he would have been better served playing online on that one occasion, and some have speculated about whether this incident harmed his England chances over the following years.

Dietmar Hamann

Dietmar Hamann is a former Liverpool player who also had spells at Newcastle and Bolton. He is still involved in coaching and punditry, and the German midfielder wrote about his relationship with gambling and casinos in his autobiography.

Hamann was known to bet on casino games, as well as sports, and famously bet on cricket in some high-stakes gambling during his career.

Jack Grealish

Jack Grealish recently reached the pinnacle of football, managing to win the treble with Manchester City. It is fair to say that in his spare time, Grealish likes a night out. This has been proven during the celebrations of City’s title, when Grealish was also seen taking on some serious liquid refreshments.

Over the years, he has been spotted in numerous casinos, including times when he has visited Las Vegas with his friends. Whether he plays online or not, we’re not entirely sure, but we wouldn’t be surprised.

Wayne Rooney

Of course, Wayne Rooney is now retired from the game in terms of playing. However, the England legend is known to have enjoyed playing at casinos during his time as a player (and since).

He has been outspoken in the fact that his wife, Colleen, is not so keen on him playing at casinos. However, Rooney has been seen on many nights out enjoying some casino gambling.

Rooney is likely to return to the Premier League at some point now that he is a manager, he’s still loved by a lot of the clubs he played for, as well as England fans.

Teddy Sheringham

Another player who has retired from playing but is known to enjoy casino gambling. In fact, Teddy Sheringham has gone on to have some huge success in the world of poker since he retired from the game.

Sheringham also enjoys golf, and has been involved in some punditry of football, but it seems as though poker is his main interest. Sheringham has won over €400,000 on a European Poker Tour event in the past, so it is fair to say it is more than just a part-time hobby for him.

Poker is a game that involves some skill, too, and it is easy to see why some footballers are drawn to the game.

Tony Cascarino

Cascarino played briefly in the Premier League and is one of the only players on this list to have also had a spell in Scotland. In his autobiography, Cascarino explains that he is passionate about poker in particular and that he participated in the final of the 2009 British Poker Tour, winning £168,800 in the process.

Summary

Footballers have some spare time in which to gamble, as well as financial backing, and though there are only some that are public with their love of casinos, it is thought that there are many, many more who also enjoy gambling behind closed doors.

The UK football and casino industries are also linked by sponsorship and in their culture. With online casinos, plenty of UK footballers can play without having to leave the house, so they aren’t always public about their love of casino games.