While many football fans like to occasionally bet on their favourite teams, this isn’t exclusively for the fans. Several sports stars are known for using their sports knowledge to find the best bets to cash in winnings. While some stars’ gambling hobbies have unfortunately led to personal issues, others have used their winnings for large investments. From footballers to golfers, here are the athletes who also dabble in the gambling world.
Floyd Mayweather
One of the most iconic names on the list is boxer Floyd Mayweather, whose favourite sports to bet on are basketball and football. He is probably one of the most famous athletes who also enjoys betting, as well as bragging about it. This is seen in tweets where he shares his high-stakes tickets, such as winning 45,000 US dollars (36,000 British Pounds) on a 50,000-dollar (40,000-pound) bet.
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Michael Jordan
Not only is MJ considered the greatest basketball player of all time, but he is also known for his various sports-related business ventures. Air Jordan recently sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for an incredible $3 billion (£2.4 billion).
It is also well-known that Michael Jordan enjoys making wagers. His betting career has been discussed before as some suspected that he was banned from gambling, which is why he retired for the first time in 1993. However, some media have debunked this theory.
Wayne Rooney
As one of the most respected English footballers of all time, Rooney didn’t wish to limit his sports career to playing. Throughout his time at Manchester United, he had been gambling. Unfortunately, though, Rooney’s habits took a negative turn, as he fell into a gambling addiction in his early days in Manchester when he was trying to stay busy between matches.
Tiger Woods
As Tiger Woods has said in an interview, gambling is a part of the golf ‘culture.’ Therefore, he has also gambled. As one of the greatest golfers, he doesn’t bet on his sport. Instead, he enjoys playing games like poker and blackjack, where he has been seen at well-known casino hotels like the Wynn Las Vegas & Encore Resort. Since the 2000s, Woods has been known as a regular gambler at the Las Vegas casino, where he allegedly had a 1 million dollar betting limit.
Phil Mickelson
Another golfer on the list is Phil Mickelson, who is well-known for having had a long gambling streak. However, this took a turn as it was said that he was falling into a gambling addiction, allegedly being willing to bet on anything. Before, he had bet more than 1 million dollars in sports like football and basketball and even wished to place a 400,000-dollar wage on Team USA in the same Ryder Cup in 2012, where he participated. His struggles with gambling addiction have been in the public eye for a long time. But according to Mickelson, he hasn’t gambled in a long time.
Pete Rose
As the only baseball player on the list, Pete Rose from the Cincinnati Reds has a renowned history of gambling, which had a different outcome than other athletes on this list. In the 1980s, Pete Rose was the manager for the Cincinnati Reds. But because of his gambling, he was hit with a ban from baseball back in 1989. The reason? He wagered on the same baseball games he managed for the Reds. Even though he had had a very successful playing career, gambling on Reds games led to a lifetime ban and is the only reason Pete Rose is not in the MLB Hall of Fame today.
