Gambling is an event many people use in passing time around the world. The game is not particular to any player, as anyone who understands the gameplay can play the game anywhere. With the growing popularity of the game coupled with its new online presence, it’s no surprise many athletes, especially football players enjoy playing a game or two whenever they have the chance.
According to the research, gambling is a sport that we can do for fun and also make extra change on the side, but we shouldn’t use online slot machines in Canada as a major source of income. Many well-known footballers enjoy spinning the reels for fun but still aim to win the game like they do on the field of play and in every other aspect of their life.
Most of these footballers prefer to play their games online as the attention it will bring their way been seen playing in public carrying out such action. These footballers prefer to play this game online. Despite their privacy, many of the players are open about their gambling style and often joke about it as a reference to certain things.
Below is a list of the famous football players who gamble in their spare time
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is a well-known football player all over the world for his incredible scoring feats, goal-scoring skills, and different footballing awards. Many of you may not know this, but he also loves to among during his spare time among several other things. His preferred choice of game is poker as this is where he’s also very skillful and has a delightful gameplay style.
His preferred choice of the game comes as no surprise to us as Football and Poker take determination and focus. These are skills that Cristiano Ronaldo is known to possess on and off the pitch. He has played under poker professionals like Patrick Antonius at different times and has been featured on different poker commercials.
Diego Maradona
This is another famous football legend who was known for setting records and achieving great feats at the different national leagues. He achieved so much in football that a lot of people don’t know he is also a recognized face in the casino industry.
Maradona loved to try his hands on card games as he frequently visited casinos. He was also occasionally found at the Roulette table. Maradona wasn’t just any football player who gambled for the fun and luxury of it, he gambled for real money.
Despite his history, he achieved a lot on the field of play and the casino tables, as if you meet anyone present in his times, you will hear of his tales.
Gianluigi Buffon
Buffon is another famous football player that’s a lover of casino games. He is known to be a lover of poker games and spends a lot of his spare time practicing game moves, making wagers, and earning huge wins on games. He is a famous football player who loves to play football and gamble on the side, which makes his ambassadorial place with PokerStars not a surprise.
You can find Buffon featuring different poker adverts, but one famous feat about Buffon’s gambling troubles goes back to 2006 and 2012, where he faced interrogation for illegal gambling activities. However, both cases were dropped against him and has gone on to carve a path for himself in history.
Neymar
Neymar is another high-ranking football player who is also involved in gambling. When Neymar is not scoring goals for fun on the football pitch or watching basketball matches, you will find him playing poker. He’s one of those players who’s vocal about his love for gambling and often posts it on social media.
He has even attended a European Poker Tour where he faced the best in the game and proved his worth to the best of his gambling knowledge. Well, many people say his gambling skills are as good as his footballing skills, and if you know what that means, you’ll expect his name to be a badass gambler.
Joey Barton
Joey Barton is a famous football player known for his controversies as well as his footballing skills. He is also another player that has been open about his gambling and has openly admitted to enjoying playing sports betting. Many of the other football players prefer to try their hands on something a bit different from their profession, but that’s not Joey Barton as he’s one of those who prefer betting on things closer to this profession.
However, it is not illegal to bet on sports games, but as a professional football player, you are not allowed to bet on your sport. This will cause Joey Barton a lot of trouble, and he will face several dealings with the law until he retired from the game.
The rise in the number of football players joining the industry as representative of companies or as competitors is going over the roof. Lots of football big names are choosing to bet for fun, while many others have used it as an after-football career to open up many more opportunities.
Final Thoughts
These are not the only footballers who are into gambling. There are many more who buy into the idea and take it up to the professional level. However, Gambling has always been an activity for fun. It should not be encouraged to be the main career because of its uncertainties which are not under the control of the player.
However, if you can still play the game and not suffer from any collateral loss, you’re good to go and can continue to gamble as much as you can afford.