Home of football statistics and historyGiven the amount of money professional footballers at the top level can earn during their career, it is little wonder that they often look for innovative ways to spend it.
Gambling has traditionally been a pursuit which footballers have engaged in, and it would be fair to say that they enjoy numerous pursuits in this area.
For instance, some A-League players are known for their love of online pokies Australia due to the thrill of trying to land an eye-watering jackpot.
In many other major football jurisdictions worldwide, players enjoy playing other hugely popular casino games such as roulette and blackjack.
It is worth noting that not every footballer’s gambling experiences deliver positive results, with several big names renowned for allowing things to spiral out of control.
With that in mind, read on as we look at some famous footballers and their gambling habits, starting with a striker who made a name for himself in poker.
Tony Cacasrino
Former Republic of Ireland international striker Tony Cascarino has recorded several significant successes on the professional poker circuit.
He was a regular fixture in televised tournaments when poker started booming in the early 2000s and showed he could mix it with the best.
Cascarino won a UK Poker Tour main event in 2008 and subsequently secured a sixth-place finish in the grand final later the same year.
He has also cashed in a World Poker Tour main event in 2010 and has continued to compete sporadically in professional tournaments since then.
Jan Vang Sorensen
Denmark’s Jan Vang Sorensen was forced to abandon his career at Odense BK due to injury, but gained compensation by reaching the top of the tree in poker.
He won two prestigious World Series of Poker bracelets in the early 2000s, winning tournaments with a $2,500 and $5,000 buy-in.
Sorensen holds the record for the biggest cash by a football player after winning just short of $801,000 at the Master Classics of Poker High Roller.
He had garnered more than $2.26 million in live tournament earnings by October 2022 and still competes in tournaments on the European circuit.
Gerard Pique
Former Barcelona star played in the 2014 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, but is better known for his exploits on the European Poker Tour.
One of Pique’s most noteworthy successes was a second-placed finish in 2019 which earned him a cool €352,950 payout for a €25,000 buy-in.
He has also used his celebrity status to become a brand ambassador for a leading poker brand, and they have funded his entry into several tournaments in recent years.
Pique is not as prolific as other footballers on the professional poker circuit, but loves testing himself against the best exponents of this iconic casino game.
Michael Chopra
A key element of gambling is never to spend more than you can comfortably afford to lose, but not everyone is able to heed that sensible warning.
Former Premier League striker Michael Chopra has pieced his life back together since admitting that he was gambling as much as £20,000 per day at the height of his addiction.
After undertaking a programme to get to grips with his problem, Chopra now helps vulnerable young people in his role as ambassador for the Football for Peace foundation.
He was also part of a consortium alongside Alan Shearer which attempted to complete a takeover of their former club Newcastle United in 2020.
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