Celebrity sportsmen earn in millions, yet it is not unusual to learn about their financial troubles through media.
Barring a few, sports gamblers are not as lucky playing for stakes as they are on the field playing for glory.
Here are just some of the best and worst sports gamblers of all times.
Floyd "Money" Mayweather
The so far undefeated boxing champion is undefeated at gambling too, a fact that makes him the luckiest sports gamblers on this list. He went public with his gambling exploits in 2010,
tweeting pictures of himself holding his prize money from a bet that he had placed on a basketball game. He had won over $90,000 from a bet of $100,000, and another $41,000 from
betting on a second match. Mayweather, known by the nickname "Money" for good reason, is speculated to fight British boxer Amir Khan in May next year.
Kenny McKinley
The talented American Football player killed himself in 2010 after piling up crushing gambling debts. After gambling away his handsome earnings from the sport, he borrowed heavily
from teammates and Las Vegas casinos to support his habit. When things were already looking gloomy for the player, he had to retire prematurely from the season because of an injury.
The setback was a bit too much to handle for the already depressed player, and he took his own life by shooting himself.
Michael Chopra
Former Blackpool striker Michael Chopra is one of many English football players afflicted with a raging gambling problem. The player was banned from any involvement in horse racing
for 10 years after a long investigation found him guilty of corruption in betting. He confessed a few months back he was struggling to pay £50,000 in legal fees for contesting the ban.
The player, currently playing with Ipswich, earns £17,000 a week. His gambling problem isn’t new, and his club has supported him in recent years, at one point extending a £250,000
in wages to pay off his gambling debts. Financially crippled and facing death threats from his creditors, the player is currently in rehab for his gambling addiction.
Charles Barkley
The retired NBA player and TV analyst admitted to ESPN a few years back he had lost close to $10 million to his gambling habit. About a year after that, he claimed he had won $700,000
over a weekend betting on Super Bowl and playing Blackjack. His losses beat his winnings by a wide margin when he lost $2.5 million in just six hours, according to what he claims.
Barkley ended up owing $400,000 to a casino and would have been hit with criminal charges, but he promptly paid off his loan and has purportedly sworn off gambling for good.
Gordon Taylor
Just a couple of months back, the PFA chief executive faced an impeachment from his office after his uncontrollable gambling addiction became public. The startling allegations accused
Taylor of placing more than £4 million on some 2,000 bets, ending up owing £100,000 to a bookmaker. He was eventually able to keep his job, though not without tainting the game in controversy.
The list of sports gambler goes on and on. Celebrity players make notorious gamblers because they are already famous and receive the heftiest paychecks, which they can afford to gamble with.
At the end of the day, it's all back to square one. Their losses eventually surpass their earnings, bringing them in disrepute and financial trouble, ending their sporting careers, and sometimes, their lives.
Barring a few, sports gamblers are not as lucky playing for stakes as they are on the field playing for glory.
Here are just some of the best and worst sports gamblers of all times.
Floyd "Money" Mayweather
The so far undefeated boxing champion is undefeated at gambling too, a fact that makes him the luckiest sports gamblers on this list. He went public with his gambling exploits in 2010,
tweeting pictures of himself holding his prize money from a bet that he had placed on a basketball game. He had won over $90,000 from a bet of $100,000, and another $41,000 from
betting on a second match. Mayweather, known by the nickname "Money" for good reason, is speculated to fight British boxer Amir Khan in May next year.
Kenny McKinley
The talented American Football player killed himself in 2010 after piling up crushing gambling debts. After gambling away his handsome earnings from the sport, he borrowed heavily
from teammates and Las Vegas casinos to support his habit. When things were already looking gloomy for the player, he had to retire prematurely from the season because of an injury.
The setback was a bit too much to handle for the already depressed player, and he took his own life by shooting himself.
Michael Chopra
Former Blackpool striker Michael Chopra is one of many English football players afflicted with a raging gambling problem. The player was banned from any involvement in horse racing
for 10 years after a long investigation found him guilty of corruption in betting. He confessed a few months back he was struggling to pay £50,000 in legal fees for contesting the ban.
The player, currently playing with Ipswich, earns £17,000 a week. His gambling problem isn’t new, and his club has supported him in recent years, at one point extending a £250,000
in wages to pay off his gambling debts. Financially crippled and facing death threats from his creditors, the player is currently in rehab for his gambling addiction.
Charles Barkley
The retired NBA player and TV analyst admitted to ESPN a few years back he had lost close to $10 million to his gambling habit. About a year after that, he claimed he had won $700,000
over a weekend betting on Super Bowl and playing Blackjack. His losses beat his winnings by a wide margin when he lost $2.5 million in just six hours, according to what he claims.
Barkley ended up owing $400,000 to a casino and would have been hit with criminal charges, but he promptly paid off his loan and has purportedly sworn off gambling for good.
Gordon Taylor
Just a couple of months back, the PFA chief executive faced an impeachment from his office after his uncontrollable gambling addiction became public. The startling allegations accused
Taylor of placing more than £4 million on some 2,000 bets, ending up owing £100,000 to a bookmaker. He was eventually able to keep his job, though not without tainting the game in controversy.
The list of sports gambler goes on and on. Celebrity players make notorious gamblers because they are already famous and receive the heftiest paychecks, which they can afford to gamble with.
At the end of the day, it's all back to square one. Their losses eventually surpass their earnings, bringing them in disrepute and financial trouble, ending their sporting careers, and sometimes, their lives.
