Sports Then and Now

Sports and gambling have always had a special connection for centuries. Since sporting events started to take place worldwide, people have engaged in gambling in order to win some money and gambling has become a hobby and way of life for many people. There is no surprise that today we have many online gambling sites that provide sports betting and many other games. 

Since the gambling industry has been around for a while, there is no surprise that numerous famous and celebrated athletes have tried out their own luck. Some of them are successful and some of them even developed a problem. Nevertheless, the following athletes have a history of gambling, and you can even check out a guide to online casinos in America and try out your own luck. 

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Floyd “Money” Mayweather didn’t earn this nickname for no reason. Not only is he unbeatable in the ring, but he is also a renowned gambler. He is known to bet some seriously big games and he even posts tweets regularly with pictures of his betting slips. Since he is so good at gambling, he shows the proof of some massive wagers winning even hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Michael Jordan

One of the greatest basketball players of all time with numerous NBA championships behind him, Michael Jordan is also an avid gambler. Besides his great NBA career, he is also known for winning some of the highest stake gambling games. At the high of his days, he was even a regular bettor on rock, paper and scissors. Once, Jordan even bet as much as $100,000 on the game. In 1992, before the Barcelona Olympics Finals it is said that he spent a whole night playing poker with Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen. During his career, Jordan has been seen playing golf for money or betting on it, and he did lose great amounts of money, but he often won as well. And even though he is retired now, not much has changed when it comes to betting. 

Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley is a famous gambler, but he has opened about his gambling problem and admitted having it. Over his career, he has claimed that he had lost around $10 million, but despite the losses, he has continued to enjoy gambling on occasion. In 2007, he was said to have won around $700,000 during one weekend, but has reported losing as much as $2.5 million in just a couple of hours during one visit to Vegas. And even though he acknowledged his gambling problem, Barkley said that he intends to continue playing, simply because he “can afford it”. 

John Daly

A famous golfer John Daly is famous for being among the faster living players. However, even though he has lived a life, he has several severe addictions, including gambling, food, and alcohol addiction. Over the years, he is said to lose over $50 million at casinos. And even though you can say that Daly is a passionate gambler, he may not be the best example, since his approach is reckless it can seriously affect his career earnings.

It is not a surprise that famous athletes have a history of gambling. Sports and betting go hand in hand, and athletes often take an advantage of their career earnings and often gamble it away. Some of them are more cautious and gamble simply because they enjoy the thrill. However, there are some of them who are more reckless and don’t make great decisions. Such as examples of reckless athletes can serve as great cautionary tales, while the rest can pose a great example on how to be smart about gambling.