Basketball Players Who Play in Casino
For various sportsmen, sport is not the only favorite activity.
In fact, it’s more like a job for them, while players can have many other interesting hobbies to practice when they have free time.
Many professional sportsmen are extremely fond of gambling because it has something in common with sports and offers many benefits.
Among all sportsmen, basketball players are very passionate fans of casino games.
Let’s observe the reasons for such a choice and the list of the most prominent basketballers, who adore diverse gamble games.
Why Do Basketballers Love Gambling?
If we follow the lives and activities of various modern NBA players, we will find out that many of them are extremely fond of gambling.
Some of them play at Internet casinos and enjoy a great diversity of bounties, while others prefer visiting brick-and-mortar venues to feel an amazing atmosphere.
The majority of players claim that there’re various reasons for them to begin gambling.
We’ve analyzed them all and distinguished a few main ones, which explain why basketballers play casino games:
| Reason | Description |
| To take a risk | When players participate in basketball matches, they get excited and feel the adrenaline, while trying to win. The same happens when they play diverse casino games. They are based on luck and usually don’t depend on any abilities. Thus, basketballers can feel the same thrill and try their luck. |
| To earn more money | Basketballers are like plain people. They sometimes want to win easy money, while passing a wonderful time playing. The truth is that casino games are games of chance, and the wins are not guaranteed. And still, there’re many basketballers, who hope to get a jackpot one day. |
| To take part in a competition | Many players are naturally competitive people. They like competing with others and winning. While they realize their desire through basketball, they can additionally do it, while gambling. There’re even tournaments (for instance, when we speak about poker), so basketballers can take part in them. |
Speaking about online gambling venues, many basketballers choose them because of the privacy they can provide.
There’re no people around, no paparazzi, so they can comfortably sit at home and play keno online for money or enjoy any other video products presented in the collection.
What’s more, modern Internet casinos can offer a great diversity of options, including slots with various themes and styles, a wide range of table games, card games, specialties, and even sports betting options.
As for those who prefer land-based venues, they can enjoy higher stakes and communication.
The choice of options isn’t that great but there’re additional facilities, for instance, restaurants, stores, SPA, and others.
Popular Basketballers Who Gamble
The list of NBA professionals, who enjoy casino games, is great.
Some of them are amateurs, while others can even be called professional punters. Let’s look at the most prominent personalities:
- J. R. Smith. This legendary basketballer used to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is extremely fond of games of chance and even set a certain sum of cash aside to later make bets. Smith is a well-known card games lover. He enjoys poker & blackjack. In addition, he likes playing slots a lot. And he is pretty good at these games.
- Antoine Walker. The man is a former professional basketballer. His career in NBA started with the Boston Celtics. As Antione admits, his passion for casino games was born due to the influence of M. Jordan (his colleague and friend, who is also a passionate punter). In fact, such games became a great problem for Walker and he lost lots of cash on stakes. He used to visit diverse luxurious venues in Vegas and other destinations and played poker. This basketballer is a wonderful example of how it’s important to play responsibly and control yourself.
- Michael Jordan. We can’t miss one of the most famous basketballers, who are extremely fond of casino games. Currently, he is a businessman and a former professional (who played for the Chicago Bulls). Michael is very fond of sports betting. He admitted that he’s made bets both on other professionals and on himself. The largest stake he’s even made was 100,000 USD. Along with sports betting, the basketballer also likes roulette & craps.
- Shaquille O’Neal. He used to be a professional basketballer. The last team he played for was the Boston Celtics. After the end of his career, O’Neal became an analyst. He’s a passionate fan of casinos and claims that such a hobby brings a lot of fun. He has been noticed at diverse glamorous venues in popular locations. Once, he even managed to lose over 150,000 USD in one night.
- Shawn Marion. He is another former professional. The last team he played for was the Cleveland Cavaliers. His interest in gambling was born after the end of his professional career. The man started to search for a new hobby and found himself in card games. Shawn is a frequent visitor to various brick-and-mortar venues, where he spends time at blackjack & poker tables.
- Charles Barkley. He used to be a famous NBA professional, and now he is a TV analyst. He is also known as a passionate punter, who once had really serious problems caused by his hobby. Charles admitted that once he lost about 10 million USD in Vegas. Nevertheless, the former professional keeps attending luxurious clubs and playing various table games.
There’re more prominent people, who also enjoy gamble games. Among them, we can call Isaiah Thomas, Seth Curry, Charles Oakley, and many others.
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Conclusion
Gambling might become a perfect hobby for basketballers and other sportsmen.
It allows relieving stress, immersing into a completely new atmosphere, and even earning some cash.
However, everyone should remember that it’s crucial to play responsibly and never chase losses or winnings.
Otherwise, an innocent hobby might turn into an addiction and cause great financial and other problems.
Also Read: How to Invest in The Stock Market for Beginners
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