A lot of people enjoy sports betting. For some it is a simple hobby, others can’t imagine their life without bets, and still others consider the services of bookmakers as easy money. That being said, you don’t have to be the biggest sports fan to acquire a taste for betting on various disciplines. Responsible gambling can be lots of fun and fulfil your need for a thrill.

Not only ordinary people, but also celebrities turn to betting in order to relax and get an adrenaline rush. Let’s meet some public persons who are known for their addiction to betting.

Barack Obama

Former American leader Barack Obama likes sports betting. It is known that he was betting with bookmakers even during his presidency. He personally spoke about this on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

The former US president admitted that he was passionate about the Super Bowl. It emerged that Obama always watched all championship finals of the American football National Football League. Moreover, he calls the winning team after the game to congratulate them on their victory. Sometimes the former head of the White House also calls the losers. Especially if it is a team Obama was rooting for or on whose victory he put his money.

Such admission of the former president came as a surprise to the public. As at the time of filming, sports betting was banned almost throughout the United States, the host did not miss the opportunity to remind his guest that betting was considered illegal outside the state of Nevada. In response, Obama laughed it off, saying that, as a president, he had pardoned himself for wrongdoing. It is anyone’s guess whether Obama really violated the law or just has fuelled interest for himself, showing that he is not alien to the joys of ordinary citizens.

Ashton Kutcher

The popular American actor Ashton Kutcher is not just an amateur, but a real professional. He turned out to be a member of a syndicate that was deeply involved in sports betting and simply ruined bookmakers.

Ashton provided all the details to Esquire, making it clear that it was about betting in 2008 or 2010.

As the American admitted, he was acting as a front man for the syndicate. His task was to confuse bookmakers, and not let them know he had a whole organization behind him. He had to come out as a young and inexperienced sports betting fan who is gambling at the bookmakers just for fun. At first glance, he recklessly put huge sums on random events, choosing completely unpredictable outcomes.

However, his indiscretion and narrow-mindedness was backed by a team of professionals. They carefully analysed American football, but they themselves could not play in bookmakers’ offices for a long time. Betting providers doped them out, blocked their accounts, and reduced maximum stakes. As such, the syndicate was looking for a person with acting skills. Ashton suited the role perfectly. The wealthy and famous American bet for a long time without arousing any suspicion.
Collaboration with the syndicate was paying well. Once the media reported that Kutcher earned about ＄750,000 in a month. Eventually, the actor was figured out and bookmakers stopped accepting large bets from him.

Charlie Sheen

Another American actor who is not a stranger to sports betting is Charlie Sheen.

Charlie’s popularity has made him a fortune. Being a wealthy person, he did not reckon with the risks and continued to bet regardless no matter what. Moreover, he bet with shadowy bookmakers. Some of them were compromised later, and their owners ended up behind bars.

The actor’s practice turned into a disaster. He became a real gambling addict. He was not even stopped by a loss of ＄200 thousand a week. And this is not even the maximum amount…

Besides his gambling addiction, the actor revealed that he suffered from alcohol and drug abuse and mental disorders. In 2015, his fans were shocked by Sheen’s admission of being infected with HIV. It is unlikely that such a lifestyle made him happy. Charlie’s story is a shining example of how not to conduct oneself. Neither gambling nor any other type of addiction never does anyone good.

Alex Ferguson

The football star and the legendary ex-coach of Manchester United is famous not only for his sports achievements, which were often discussed on the bookmaker-ratings.com website.

The world learned that Ferguson was a regular client of bookmakers from Keith Gillespie’s autobiographical book How Not To Be A Football Millionaire. In his writing, the author confessed that he squandered a fortune with bookmakers, and also mentioned that Alex Ferguson is neither indifferent to sports betting.

It became clear that Keith became addicted to sports betting when he was playing for Manchester United. The Irishman also reported that he placed wagers at bookmakers for Ferguson too, who at that time was the head coach of United. In case of a win, the coach shared the money with the winger.

Keith himself somehow lost more than £7 million to bookmakers. In 2010, he declared himself bankrupt.

50 Cent

Popular rapper Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent, is also a frequent visitor to bookmakers. When choosing events and outcomes, he is solely guided by his intuition.

It is a well-known case when his gut feeling brought the famous performer ＄500 thousand. On that day, the rapper bet on the victory of Giants from New York, who played with San Francisco in the NFL.

Many more stars in show business and sports love betting. You don’t necessarily need to be a sports fan, or support a particular team or athlete. For example, 54% of UK fans have never tried betting. According to research, only 21% of the British are bettors. In particular, the most reckless among the fans of the top-4 of the Premier League teams, were the fans of Chelsea and Arsenal. 23% and 25% of their fans, respectively, regularly visit bookmakers. Even fewer Liverpool and Manchester United fans are fond of betting. 60% of the two clubs fan base combined have never made a bet with a bookmaker.

The statistics of other countries also show reasonable trends. In France, 62% of fans do not bet. 22% of the French are regular guests at bookmakers. Speaking specifically about PSG fans, 11% ranked themselves as betting fans.
In Italy, 20% of the population are active players, while 58% of football fans are not interested in betting.

As for the Germans, the Bayern fans are the least concerned with betting. Only 9% of respondents often use betting services. A total lack of interest is reported by 69% of fans. If we talk about Germans in general, 11% of them visit bookmakers, and 62% just pass by.

Hothead Spaniards are not very interested in betting either: 54% of Spain residents have never made a wager. Regarding the statistics among Barcelona and Real Madrid fans, 59% of them have never placed a bet. 16% of Catalans and 15% of Madrilenian, however, often place a stake on matches.

As you can see, the love for betting does not depend on nationality or club preferences. It is all about personal likings of an individual. Most importantly, one should keep a sense of proportion, so as not to exceed one’s capabilities.