Gambling and sports have always been intertwined from the very beginning of time, so it’s not much of a surprise to see some of the biggest sports stars trying out their luck in various casinos. For a multi-billion dollar industry, it would always attract the very best, and this is one of the biggest reasons why gambling is so common among sportsmen. Another reason is that these famous Sportsmen earn millions, and they are just looking for means to spend some of that bucks. Casinos provide that glamorous opportunity to stay competitive while also looking at earning something. In addition, the competition for the online casino market is driving casino gaming sites to offer attractive bonuses to customers; IGT free slots would allow players to try out that gambling experience for free. So here we would be looking at some of the biggest sportsmen that frequently visit casino locations across the globe.
Floyd Mayweather Jnr.
Las Vegas is the world’s gambling capital, and if you are looking for the undisputed “King” of Vegas among athletes, you don’t need to look any further. Floyd’s gambling habits are far well known as he is a regular face among various casinos in Vegas. The self-acclaimed “Money bag” is not afraid to show this side of him as he regularly posts big wins on his social media channels over the years. In one event in 2012, he posted a wagering of $1.1 million on a college football game where he gave Oregon – 7.5 over Arizona State. The Oregon team won the game 43-21, which was more than enough to cover the handicap. Floyd later confirmed that his winnings from this single game were well over $1 million. Aside from stakings in football games, Floyd has been accused a few times of trying to bet on his boxing matches, some sources reporting that he placed about $400,000 on himself to beat McGregor in 2017, which he denied. He is a very popular face in casino games and lives to gamble across diverse events.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The footballing “GOAT” is a huge lover of poker games, also regularly running promotional ads for some casino businesses. He’s also one of the biggest members of PokerStars as an official sports team and has appeared in loads of live-streamed poker rooms that have been watched by millions all over the world. He has also been involved in a lot of charities organised by casino firms, with one game against the Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul generating a massive following. Ronaldo started playing poker while he was at Manchester United after being introduced to the game by a teammate and has since gone up to gain mastery of the game. The five-time Balon D’Or winner described his love for poker by saying:
“Although football is my world, poker has always been my game.”
Rafael Nadal
You don’t need to follow Lawn Tennis to know who Rafael Nadal is. He’s a twenty-time grand slam winner and widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players ever. The “King of Clay” is a fierce competitor on the tennis court, but that’s not the only place where he’s competitive. Nadal has been playing poker since his early days in Spain. Although he has largely kept this side of him a secret, he did confirm that he was a huge poker player in 2013 after he won 100,000 euros in a poker charity match. He said:
“Like tennis, poker is a competition; you need to control your emotions, you need to be focussed all the time. You need to have self-control, you have to wait for your moment.” Like Ronaldo, he’s also an ambassador for PokerStars and sometimes features in streamed poker games.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods is often regarded as the greatest golfer of all time, and this is for a reason. He’s tied for first for PGA tour wins and also second for most major championships won. Woods has been visiting casinos even before it was legal for him to do so. In 1996, while he was still 20, he was caught playing blackjack on a casino riverboat in Iowa. Since then, Woods has been a very popular face in casino houses, even going as far as hosting an annual casino game called Tiger Jam which has gone on for more than two decades. However, Woods’s gambling habits have left many to question if he’s actually addicted to betting on blackjack, especially the controversy surrounding him. One thing is for sure, Woods loves his casino games, and he will keep playing.
Michael Jordan
Jordan is a 6-time NBA champion and is often regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time. As with most names on this list, Jordan fell in love a long time ago and has been regularly staking huge bets because he can simply afford it. Though as with Woods, this has come with a lot of controversial situations. He even admitted at one point that he actually had a gambling problem. During the 1992 Olympics, Jordan was caught playing rock, paper, scissors with about $100,000 before games. There was also another incident the following year, where the Chicago Bulls basketballer spent the night before a game against New York Knicks in a casino at Atlantic City. The aftermath of this was so bad that it had been widely speculated that this was the reason Jordan first retired in 1993, as he was supposedly suspended for 18 months and had to retire to save face. Jordan has some particular huge losses from as it was widely reported at one time that he lost about $5 million playing craps in just one night at Las Vegas.
Conclusion
The names on this list are huge sportsmen in their various fields, and this comes with some perks of making them super-rich. Most of them just gamble because it’s fun and they can afford it; for some, they are so passionate about it to the point of struggling with gambling addiction. For Ronaldo and Nadal, they prefer to stick with Poker, while others like Jordan and Floyd can gamble on any type of game since it brings excitement. For whatever game they decide, or you decide to stick with, caution has to be applied while playing casino games.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
