With the expansion of online gambling, there are more and more people stuck with gambling addiction and with gambling debts with each passing year. Gambling is a serious problem for many people around the world and has ruined the lives of thousands. Even the richest athletes are not immune to it, with many of them going bankrupt even after earning millions of dollars during their careers.
Whether it is blackjack (learn more about blackjack strategies and rules on http://blackjack.org), craps, poker or slots, many athletes have endured serious problems due to their gambling addiction. Some have managed to pull through, while others have lost everything they owned, with their story serving as a reminder of how much of a problem gambling can be.
Michael Jordan
The greatest basketball player of all time is not so great at gambling as it seems. Various reports have suggested that Jordan is quite fond of Las Vegas, losing millions of dollars on casino tables regularly. Of course, he can endure it thanks to his business endeavors, but still, losing millions on blackjack is an obvious sign of a gambling problem. It looks like the bug infects his kids as well after they bragged about spending $56k during a Las Vegas weekend.
Besides being a tenacious basketball player in his time, Charles Barkley is also an avid gambler who has admitted he lost more than $10 million in casinos. That’s a lot of money even for a basketball star like him! Currently an analyst for Inside The NBA, Barkley was sued by a casino for accumulated gambling debts in 2008 and has promised he would get help.
Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson was one of the best basketball players in his time. The Philadelphia 76ers star was controversial in many ways and was dealing with gambling problems all throughout his career. He was reported to go bankrupt in 2015, but it didn’t seem to stop him. He’s still gambling frequently and can be seen often at various Philadelphia casinos. He even blew off a BIG3 game in favor of a casino!
Tiger Woods
Right around the time when stories about Woods’ debauchery went public, it was also revealed that he had a serious gambling problem. Woods went to the Sin City often with some of his mistresses and was sometimes seen betting $250,000 per hand!
Wayne Rooney
The former Manchester United star has publicly admitted he’s struggling with gambling problems. He supposedly owed £700,000 in a secret dressing room gambling ring and was reported to have spent £100,000 in only a few hours after getting back home from scoring twice in a Euro qualification game. After this incident, he promised to put his obsession under control.
Pete Rose
We’ve saved the best (or worst?) for last. Pete Rose is the only player on this list whose gambling problems led to his exclusion from the MLB and Hall of Fame. Rose bet on his team and many others every day, sometimes spending up to a $10,000! He’s a true example of how dangerous the great American gambling obsession is.
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