4 sports personalities who lost money gambling

Considering the hugely competitive streak that all of the best sportsmen and women have, it perhaps comes as little surprise that some of them like gambling. Indeed, gambling can be a great way of feeding that competitive streak, as well as providing an adrenaline rush close to that felt on the pitch, the absence of which can obviously be felt most profoundly during pre-season.

While gambling has been the source of much anguish in the private lives of footballers like Paul Merson, many sports stars merely find it to be a highly enjoyable past-time.

With so much money in their pockets, it is not at all surprising that the stakes are always high.

We took a look at some big names in sport that have been known to have a flutter in the casino.

Michael Owen

Back in 2003, it was reported that the then Liverpool striker had gambled away around £40,000 in two years.

Owen came under some criticism in the British media at the time, but he has always been unapologetic about his gambling, admitting to the buzz he felt when gambling, as well as his passion for horse racing, having bought his first horse back in 1998 at the age of 18 and later going on to breed race winners.

Perhaps it is fair to say that Owen was treated unfairly as he never broke any rules – like putting bets on games or competitions he was playing in – so it was arguably entirely his decision what he decided to do with the £50,000 he was earning per week at Liverpool.

Wayne Rooney

Back in late 2008, it was reported that the then 23-year-old Rooney had blown £65,000 in two hours during a trip to a Manchester casino after flying back home with the England squad after a 3-1 win against Belarus in a World Cup qualifier. According to reports, the striker blew the cash while playing Blackjack at £500 a pop.

Considering the striker was then on around £80,000 per week at Manchester United, you can be sure that it did not cause him any financial problems that week. With £15,000 to spare from his earnings that week alone, it was unlikely that he was making any frantic dashes to the local pawn shop to make up for any lost income.

Phil Mickelson

It has been widely reported that “Lefty” loves to gamble and allegedly lost around £120,000, after requesting that the $1 stakes be increased. The legendary golfer, whose wealth is estimated to be around £24 million, is reported to rarely play his beloved golf without some kind of wager involved.

Michael Jordan

The legendary former basketball player has an estimated net wealth of £400 million, and so the loss of £6 million on a series of bets on the Charlotte Bobcats (a team he owns) was like a drop in the ocean, yet was still enough to make the hugely competitive star lose his temper with his team.