After a long day at work or when you’re bored at home, many of us will turn to the casino to enjoy the unpredictability and entertainment of the casino. So, it should be of little surprise that sports stars are exactly the same.
Here we look at five sports stars who love to gamble, including some very famous Germans!
Dietmar Hamann
Dietmar Hamann’s career as a footballer can’t be called anything less than successful, featuring for heavyweights Bayern Munich, Liverpool and the national team amongst other sides. His notable moments include coming on in Liverpool’s historic Champions League final comeback win in Istanbul as well as scoring the last goal at the old Wembley stadium.
Yet, away from the field, Hamann would spend a lot of time betting, particularly on sports. In his autobiography, he revealed that he once lost over £288,000 on a single bet involving an Australian cricket match.
Max Kruse
The German international forward has always been a fan of poker. In 2014, the Werder Bremen man made the final table of a World Series of Poker event and took home over $36,000.
However, it was two years later when his poker habits really hit the headlines. That’s because after a night of trying his luck at the poker table, and winning, he managed to leave €75,000 of poker winnings in the back of a cab, which has never been recovered. To compound his misery he was hit with a fine of over €20,000 by his club at the time, Vfl Wolfsburg, who didn’t approve of his late-night game!
Boris Becker
Boris Becker is quite simply a tennis legend. Having burst onto the scene and shocked the world by becoming the youngest ever winner of Wimbledon at 17, he would follow it up with several Grand Slam wins to cement his legacy. He then coached Novak Djokovic for a successful three-year period.
Although, away from the court, Becker is known to enjoy a game of poker. After playing for a hobby during his career, he has since turned out at several European Poker Tour events, and has finished in the money on several occasions.
Michael Jordan
Away from German sports stars, Michael Jordan is another who loved the table games. The basketball legend dominated NBA and won six championship rings and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
But, when he wasn’t showing his class on the court, ‘MJ’ could often be found at the casino. Stories about his long gaming sessions have been shared countless times. They include the time he visited Atlantic City and their renowned blackjack tables before flying back to New York ahead of a key play-off encounter.
John Daly
John Daly is one of the most colourful characters to step foot on a golf course. His extravagant clothes and huge personality did not match the stereotypical golfer. Yet, the big hitter had undoubted ability and won two major championships in his career.
However, as mentioned, he was equally known for his off-course antics, which included gambling. Daly estimates it cost him around $50m over the years. His love for partying meant that after winning nearly $800,000 at a tournament, he immediately went to Las Vegas and lost more than double that during a five-hour session on the fruit machines.
