Football Players Make UK Online Casinos and Sportsbook Operators Filthy Rich

Gambling for fun is pleasant and entertaining and so it gambling for real money, as long as it done rationally and safely.

This is the case with the average players, who enjoy various wagering and the money they lose or win doesn’t affect drastically their personal budgets.

When it comes to gambling addictions thought, the situation is quite different and the case of rich bettors is probably one of the worst, because they can afford to do it, and wager huge amounts not necessarily for pleasure, but for the sake of it.

Such example comes from an impressive number of football players in the Premier League, who are having serious betting issues and are betting regularly at UK online casinos, sportsbooks and other gambling operators.

Payday loans for footballers

Numerous football players in the Premier League appear to be enjoying gambling way too much

• There is a case of football player who spent GBP 7 million on gambling

• Some players turn to payday loans in order to cover their gambling expenses

• Dan Gosling is facing possible ban from FA due to breaking gambling regulations

It seems that even the rich need some extra cash when it comes to satisfying their betting desires. This is the case with some football players in the Premier League, who have been turning to payday loans.

Sporting Chance Clinic in the UK have been providing help to athletes, who suffer from different addictions like – alcoholism, drug abuse, eating problems, compulsive gambling and others, since 2000.

Colin Bland, chief executive of the facility, commented that some football players are so desperate to gamble, that they see no other solution, but to take various short-term loans, in order to get funds to bet.

Sporting Chance Clinic has a variety of patients and they have been treating a footballer who is reported to have lost around GBP 7 million in three years of gambling.

Having money might be a problem

Bland, said: “It’s not uncommon for us to have a footballer who has turned up that’s in a circle of payday loans and gambling. One of the (footballers) I was talking to sort of said ‘actually one of the problems is I can afford to place these bets.’”

And here comes again one of the most serious issues of football players who have betting problems, namely the fact that they can afford it.

Bland added: “We’ve worked with players who have lost up to GBP 7 million in three years in gambling. But the particular young man I’m talking about said ‘it’s the quantity of bets I’m placing.”

The footballer’s story continues: “I’m placing 50 bets a day. All I’m thinking about is my next bet or my last bet. It’s affecting my life, it’s affecting my performance, it’s affecting my marriage. It’s affecting what sort of father I can be.”

Dan Gosling’s recent problems

It seems that Daniel “Dan” Gosling, Newcastle United star, is another footballer, who is really struggling at the moment, due to his gambling habits. He may possibly get a ban from the Football Association, after he confessed that he had broken some UK gambling laws.

The breach in question has respect to the rule that players are banned to bet on their own team, and also shouldn’t wager on the competitions that they are involved in. Hilary, Gosling’s mother expressly stated that he has never gambled on Newcastle United or Blackpool games.

She also defended her son by saying that the rules are not clear enough and Dan placed the accumulator bets not because he has a problem, but out of “boredom.” Hilary explained that the breaches were reported to the FA after he won GBP 5,000 on an accumulator bet that was placed with an online sportsbook in the UK.

Mom’s trying to help

Dan’s mom commented: “He (Dan) admits that he was stupid, and was betting out of boredom more than anything else. He couldn’t even walk with his knee injury, and the online betting firm he was using was fine while he was losing.”

She added: “It was only a few days ago when I found out. I’m gutted for Dan obviously. He’s never betted on any of the clubs that he has played with or been on loan at, so that’s the good part – it was just silly little bets.”

Gosling is trying to fix the mess he created by explaining to the FA his actions. He requested a personal hearing next week and wants to plead his case. At the same time his agent David Hodgson described the player’s deed as “simple naivety.”

Dan also has donated the GBP 5,000 winnings to charity as well as giving extra GBP 1,250 Gift Aid contribution to his old football club in Brixham.

Hilary shed further light on the situation: “No-one from the club came and supported him when he was laid up. He’s fine in himself, he said that knows he’s been stupid and he will take what’s coming to him. He said he will learn his lesson and that he only did it because there was nothing better for him to do.”

She concluded: “What he won he donated to charity, and also gave money to the local team here. He lost loads and what money he did win he’s given away, so he is the loser in the end. It is sad that it’s come to this. I feel sorry for Dan, but I’m right behind him all the way.”