The most competitive people you’ll find here are the most popular professional athletes found on the fields, courses, and courts. Consider the MMA octagons and boxing rings, the many bouts the participants endure and the punches they absorb, while digging deep to come out victorious. 

Now, while these men show strength and relentlessness as they execute these physical feats, the majority of them come to the casino halls with the same drive and desire to win. Not every average Joe has the time to spend countless hours and hard earned cash in casinos but at Casimple you’ll find a wealth of new UK online casinos to play at and you can even claim a bonus too, in the process. 

Below are some of the biggest sports legends that love playing at casinos.

Floyd Mayweather

Mayweather is seen by many as one of the most prolific and high stakes gamblers in Las Vegas, his hometown. His nickname, money, is one that casino managers leap for joy when they hear, because he is always willing to wager huge, and is never afraid to lose some. Floyd Mayweather is someone that loves gambling to the extent that RJ Bell who provides odds believes that he will be willing to wager up to $5 million on himself to win a fight he is involved in.

The report by ESPN was that he wanted to wager $400,000 on himself to win the fight between him and Conor McGregor of UFC. However, his wager was turned down by the M Resort in Las Vegas under the fear that it could be against gambling laws in the state.

Not deterred, he gave the money to a friend, and the friend succeeded in betting $87,000 on his behalf. Information from a reliable source has it that he was so angry at the very low limit they could only accept. You could imagine how vexed he would be, after winning the match and missing the opportunity to make a kill from the bet.

Towards the end of last year, the man hosted a blackjack tournament in the Bahamas, with $300,000 as the price money. Here, he made people understand that he is good at the game, betting up to $100,000 on a single hand. After this, he told the Daily Telegraph that he wants to personally go places, and that he wants to walk into the casino alone and play blackjack games.

Wayne Rooney

The former England and Manchester United player is currently playing for Everton, and is seen by many athletes that want to get their hands on other games apart from the ones that gave the firm as an inspiration. There was a report sometime last year that Wayne Rooney went on a binge gambling spree on roulette and blackjack games, making a wager of up to $500,000 while at it. But according to the report, Wayne Rooney is also a very bad loser, as he reacts to losses as much as all of us. Of course, his attitude on the pitch of football should reveal this to us all. While losing thousands per hour at the casinos, the report was that he cut a very miserable figure. The description was that he seemed to be left in his own little world and was cursing under his breath. He got so fixated on the machine and tables in the hall while his shellacking was going on.

Mario Balotelli

It is good to note that not all the rich pockets are selfish and stingy. The former Liverpool, Manchester City, and Inter Milan ace, who is now out of favor in the football world seems to have a soft side that makes him share the spoils whenever he makes them from the casinos. He once went into a gambling den in Manchester and made 25,000 pounds. The story has it that while walking out of the den, he met a homeless man outside the building and made the man’s day by dolling out 1000 pounds to him. It was said that the gesture was very difficult for the man to believe, but in the words of a witness, Mario delivered a wad of notes to him. Many people will see this as the good side of a gambler, isn’t it?

Other notable mentions

Now, what Mario Balotelli did is the type of financial risk taking that will place him in a hall of fame that most of the athletes will not want to be listed in. however; many other prolific athletes also enjoy gambling apart from the mentioned trio. The popular basketballer, Michael Jordan is one of such. At a time, he accepted that he once wagered $165,000 on the eve of a game against the Knicks. Alex Rodriguez, who played for Metz and Phil Hellmuth were once captured in an illegal poker den in New York, enjoying themselves at the tables. John Daly, the great golfer later admitted betting between $50 million to $60 million within 12 years of being addicted to gambling.

Charles Barkley that mesmerized the fans and annihilated his opponents in basketball courts has not had such success in his exploits in the gambling houses in Las Vegas. He revealed that at some point, he wagered $20 million at the casinos. This got to the extent that Wynn casino in Las Vegas sued him at some point for illegally trying to recoup $400,000 from it.

Barkley wanted to clarify that he is no longer involved in problem gambling, but the statement with which he tried to convey this still revealed his warped thinking. He insisted that when he gets to Vegas these days, he only focuses on trying to win a few hundred thousand dollars. If he eventually loses some hundred thousand dollars, he quits and still enjoys the entire adventure. He says that it’s all right if gambling is done in moderation. He actually calls that moderation! Huh?

Michael Jordan and Tiger

The madness has a method to it irrespective of how weird it could be. Emma Vickers who conducts a study on the psychology of professional athletes writes on believeperform that sports stars possess many qualities that draw or expose them to gambling.

Athletes that get to the highest level are people with a high degree of energy, just like gamblers. They are people who expect to win as against reason. They possess a very high IQ and their optimism is out of this world. So, those qualities that make them successful in their profession also attract them to gambling big at the casinos. Referencing a study that was conducted on high stakes gambling and elite athletes, he posited that the connection is due to the need to remain actively competitive, irrespective of the fact that it’s a friendly or fun exercise.

He claims that Phil Hellmuth, who has had gambling stints with Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, told him that the two athletes fall into the mentioned category. In clutch situations, they turn out great. They are driven to win, and do not cherish losing, not even when the game is marbles. Hellmuth has had blackjack games with both, and it was a very good experience, as they enjoyed the game with 70 year old scotch and Louis XII cognac. They both play similar stakes. They like to take $2,500 and strive to win.