When it comes to athletes and gambling, you will find that many professional soccer players have a love for playing casino games.
Whether they visit land casinos in Vegas or Macao or choose to play at leading online sites, these players have had great success at the tables and even with slots!
Many soccer players prefer the convenience of online casinos that are similar to SpinPanda Casino.
Here, we discuss footballers who won at the casino and take a look at the types of games these players can be found enjoying.
Mario Balotelli
Balotelli is considered one of the best players in the world.
This versatile forward displayed strength and skill on the field.
This former Manchester City player now enjoys spending time gambling.
In the 2000s, he won over $25,000 gambling at a neighbourhood casino.
Years later, he won $25,000 in 2011 playing at a casino in Manchester.
Balotelli prefers roulette games and is known to give great tips to casino staff members.
He also makes large charitable donations from his gambling winnings.
Mario was a lucky winner at a casino in London when he hit $30,000.
To celebrate the win, he visited a pub and bought drinks for everyone!
Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique has had an amazing football career and is one of the best defenders in the game.
He has helped his club, FC Barcelona, win World Cup trophies and many championships.
In addition to showing his skill on the pitch, Piqué also has some great poker skills.
As an avid poker player, he often visits online casinos to play in tournaments.
In 2019, Pique was the co-host of the European Tour of Poker and was also a player in the tournament.
He won second place and walked away with a great win of $392,950.
This was his largest cash win at the tables.
He also won $152,476 playing in the PokerStars Championship Barcelona in 2017.
Pique is regarded as a top-rated poker player and is one of the top winners in football.
Combined, he has won $668,155 from live tournaments.
Neymar
This Brazilian soccer star is one of the most recognised football celebrities.
As one of the most respected gambling athletes, he has competed in many events and placed 6th in the 2018 Brazilian Series of Poker.
This tournament awarded a payout of $21,072.
Also, in 2018, the star was found playing poker online while his team was playing for the seventh Ligue 1 title.
Recovering from surgery and unable to take the field, Neymar focused on his poker game and continued collecting payouts.
His recent appearance was at the World Series of Poker Limit Hold’Em Championship in 2022.
Unfortunately, he was knocked out of the event on the first day.
He didn’t win a top payout but did finish 49th on the $1000 Super Bounty No-Limit Hold’em event, awarding $3,959 in cash.
From 2018 to 2022, Neymar won three large poker payouts.
These include:
- 6th place win at the BSOP
- Poker Stars win for $23,884 in 2022
- Poker Stars win for $125,678 in 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo may be one of the most popular football players of all time, but he also has another skill.
He is a talented poker player who plays at land casinos as well as at leading online websites.
The legend has been seen playing against friends at pot-limit Omaha tables.
He also competed against Aaron Paul in a charity poker event and was the winner.
Ronaldo frequently donates poker winnings to charities.
Now retired from the game, Ronaldo spends much of his time playing poker at online sites.
When it comes to footballers and their hobbies, Ronaldo admits that online gambling is his favourite pastime.
After earning a massive fortune as a soccer player, Ronaldo has the money to spend playing online casino games and entering tournaments.
Conclusion
Many professional soccer players and other athletes turn to gambling as a pastime.
These players have had great success on the field and at the casinos.
Often seen taking part in large tournaments and events, these players are known for their love of gambling.
While some have retired from the sport, they remain active and can be found involved in charity tournaments.
These gambling athletes have also donated large portions of their gambling winnings.
