Famous Gambling Stories
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A recent swathe of tabloid stories have emerged about professional footballers whose out-of-control gambling habits have left a serious dent in their bank balances. And also, in some cases, put their entire careers in jeopardy. Outrageous behaviour amongst the footballing elite is nothing new, unfortunately.
George Best: King of the Hellraisers
The legendary George Best is a prime example. Despite his keen intelligence and prodigious talent, had an unerring knack of making truly catastrophic life decisions. Notoriously drawn to a path of self-destruction, Best drank, womanised and gambled away several fortunes in a never-ending pursuit of decadent thrills.
Gambling was a very popular profession among outlaws in the Old American Wild West. From Poker Alice to Madame Moustache, RightCasino.com will introduce you to the top 10 meanest gamblers. Rick Tocchet: The story of Tocchet, an NHL All-Star and Stanley Cup champion, was sordid enough. He pled guilty to involvement with a $2 million gambling ring that took bets from the rich and famous.
Indeed, that reckless streak was a huge part of his charm. He was a lovable rogue with a ‘devil-may-care’ glint in his eye. Through Best, legions of fans could escape the tedious grind of the nine-to-five and live vicarious dreams of footballing glory and showbiz excess. To the outside world, George had outfoxed the system. He’d stuck two fingers up to the establishment, and lived his life on his own terms. It’s only with hindsight that we can appreciate how tragically he squandered his genius.
If you liked this story, check out his book, RAISING THE STAKES: True Tales of Gambling, Wagering and Poker Faces. If you have a gambling or poker story idea, email him at email protected Follow. In one of many sad gambling stories from the UK related to addiction, Justyn Larcombe squandered a massive £750,000 in online sports bets. Previously, he had a six-figure salary and he and his wife owned a £450,000 townhouse in an idyllic Derbyshire village. The gambling tales are definitely some of the craziest ones out there because they involve funny situations, some shady or risky things and they are combined with a good sense of humor. There are a lot of gambling stories and every person knows at least one. The biggest ones in history are not that well known.
Best’s behaviour left a string of wrecked relationships and ultimately led to a rapid deterioration in his mental and physical health. However, it was also part of his mythos. Like many a Hollywood hellraiser, Best was a glamorous figure: a maverick, a showman, a rebel without a cause. Life was never dull with ‘Gorgeous George’ around. Fans idolised him, and thousands dreamed of emulating his image as the wild man of football, albeit on a tighter budget than their hero could afford in his prime.
What is it about the modern game that makes so many gifted young players fall into gambling addiction? After all, successive generations should learn from the folly of their forefathers. After so many tragic tales of self-destruction, from George Best to Gazza, people should have learned something. Nobody understands, why talented young footballers still find themselves up to their necks in addiction.
The Years Since Best
One of the major differences is that, back in Best’s heyday, there was no such thing as online gambling. In order to place a bet, you had to physically go to a high street bookies or visit the races in person. At the very least, you had to make a phone call to your turf accountant. This required a certain amount of planning. The temptation to make wild, impromptu wagers in a split second of recklessness was tempered by the practicalities of punting. It could still be done quite readily, but not with the ease and sophistication that we see today.
Nowadays, anyone with a smartphone can place a bet within seconds, without having to deal with anyone face-to-face. The sheer convenience and immediacy of online betting means there’s one less barrier to overcome, one less hurdle to jump. You can literally place a bet whilst sitting in your pants, half asleep and possibly drunk. Try doing that in your local branch of Ladbrokes. The doorman will show the door quicker than you can say “fifty grand each way on the 100/1 outsider, please!”
Keith Gillespie: From Stardom to Bankruptcy
The stakes, both literally and figuratively, are higher than they’ve ever been. Take for instance Keith Gillespie. The Northern Irish international rose to fame in the 1990s, when his gambling addiction cost him an estimated £100,000 per day. Gillespie made millions of pounds during his playing career but ended up losing most of his estimated £7.2 million fortune. He always found himself chasing ever greater thrills before eventually being declared bankrupt in 2010.
Matthew Etherington: A Lucky Break
When it comes to footballers who have lost fortunes in excess of a million pounds through reckless gambling, the list of casualties makes grim reading. West Ham’s Matthew Etherington ran up debts of £1.5 million during his time with the club. He finally conquered his addiction after his move to Stoke City. There he was lucky enough to receive the support necessary to regain his natural focus.
Tom Williams and Paul Merson: Desperate Measures
Others were far less fortunate. Guildford and Peterborough’s Tom Williams ran up a million pounds of debts through a gambling habit. He even somehow managed to keep secret from his wife. However, the secret was revealed when his house was suddenly besieged by bailiffs hellbent on removing the couple’s prized possessions.
A similar tale of woe cost Paul Merson his luxury flat, and forced him to move back in with his parents at the somewhat embarrassing age of 40.
Joey Barton: Lone Wolf, or the Tip of the Iceberg?
The range of betting activities in which the aforementioned players have been involved are wide and varied. From horses and dogs to blackjack and baccarat, there is a game to suit every pocket, but there is one fundamental rule which only the most foolhardy footballer would ever break. It is strictly illegal for players in England’s top eight tiers to place any bets on football whatsoever.
Perhaps the sorry tale of Joey Barton can help shed some light on the temptations facing modern players. Following an estimated 15,000 wagers which he placed across the whole gamut of sports, the former Manchester City, QPR, Newcastle and Rangers midfielder received an 18 month ban for breaking one of the sporting world’s greatest taboos: betting on his own matches. Not only is he currently banned from playing; he can’t even train at a football club. At the age of 35, he has effectively been forced into premature retirement, and a glittering career is in tatters as a direct result of his uncontrollable gambling habit.
Controversially, Barton claims that he is far from being alone in betting illegally on football. He believes that gambling is so culturally ingrained within the sport that, in his estimation, over 50% of his fellow players are committing the same offence for which he was banned. The implications for the industry are extremely serious, and the potential repercussions would be devastating in their impact, if Barton’s claims turn out to be true.
Kevin Twaddle: Light at the End of the Tunnel
Fortunately, there is an increasing focus on finding ways for gambling addicts to overcome their problems. In some cases, seasoned footballers are taking a leading role in helping their peers to navigate the stormy seas of addiction.
Former Hearts and Motherwell player Kevin Twaddle was once on the edge of suicide. He had lost over £1 million as a result of his gambling problem. Through counselling and rehab, Twaddle managed to get himself back on track. He now devotes much of his time to helping his fellow players avoid the pitfalls he himself fell into by organising awareness campaigns. He believes that the problem is aggravated by football’s deep-rooted association with major betting firms, and advocates a total ban on gambling sponsorship.
Twaddle’s suggestions are bound to be controversial, due to the sheer amount of revenue which is generated by corporate sponsorship. But when faced with a situation in which the reputation of the sport is hanging in the balance and the well-being of both players and fans alike is under threat, it’s time for football to stop turning a blind eye to the problem and start thinking in terms of the long game.
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The heyday of cowboy gambling lasted from 1850 until 1910, during which time gambling halls would often be the first building constructed whenever a new camp or settlement was started. Many frontier gamblers have gone down in history for their daring exploits. These rough ‘n’ tough saloon sharks came from various walks of life, included both men and women, and typically erred on the wrong side of the law.
Below are 10 of the fiercest frontier gamblers who ever lived:
10) Alice Ivers (AKA Poker Alice)
Perhaps the most infamous female frontier shark, ‘Poker Alice’ hailed from Devon, England but quickly gained renown after settling in Virginia.
Rarely seen without a chunky cigar and a fat stack of ill-gotten cash, Ivers became the bane of pit bosses everywhere when she broke the bank at a casino in Colorado. Definitely one of the hottest female poker players out there – ‘hot’ in terms of her fame!
9) Bat Masterson
This pro-gambler and gunfighter was a bit of an all-round renaissance man. He used his winnings to fund multiple passions, including travelling and promoting prize fights.
Later, Masterson procured enough moolah to set up his own Olympic Athletic Club, through which he promoted up-and-coming boxers (and organised pools on matches).
8) John Henry Holiday (AKA Doc Holiday)
This notorious outlaw is perhaps best known for his part in the O.K. Corall gunfight (which he survived). A tuberculosis sufferer, Holiday knew his days were numbered and was therefore utterly without fear, a fact reflected in his gambling habits.
He was taught to gamble from a young age by a black, female friend of the family and became a card player with a count as deadly as his aim.
Famous Gambling Stories
7) Eleanor Dumont (AKA Madame Moustache)
Miss Dumont was French by birth, arriving in Nevada in the 1850s. A skilled blackjack dealer and card counter, she opened her own gambling den shortly after hitting the States and mostly catered to miners.
Despite her nickname, Dumont was highly respected by her ultra-macho clientele, who would come to blows over the honour of sitting at her table.
6) Jefferson Randolph Smith II (AKA Soapy Smith)
Jefferson ‘Soapy’ Smith was a slippery customer, in more ways than one. Aside from making a killing at standard casino table games, Smith also ran a scam that earned him his nickname.
He would show a crowd between $1 and $100, wrap the cash up in a bar of soap, place it amongst normal soap bars and invite the crowd to auction for the bar they thought contained the cash. Accomplices in the crowd would always pick the correct soap bar, while Smith pocketed the profits.
5) Kitty LeRoy
This young Texan belle settled in Deadwood, South Dakota – a legendary Dakotan scum hole. Soon after arriving, she used her copious gambling winnings to set up the Mint Gambling Saloon along with Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok.
It was said that LeRoy was always armed, owning over a dozen guns and knives, which she wasn’t shy of brandishing in a pinch.
4) Wyatt Earp
One of the most legendary figures from the American West, Wyatt Earp was actually listed as a professional gambler in the 1887 San Diego City Directory.
Like Doc Holiday, he feared nothing and brought an aggressive playing style to the poker tables. His success eventually allowed him to purchase a six-horse stable in San Francisco and settle down until his death in 1929 at the age of 80.
3) Lottie Deno
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Although lesser-known than Poker Alice, Lottie Deno was arguably the more prolific and successful gambler of the two. She had the distinction of fleecing Doc Holiday at poker on one occasion, earning the title ‘Poker Queen.’
She eventually retired in comfort; her fortune made, and lived to the extremely respectable age of 89.
2) James Butler Hickok (AKA Wild Bill Hickok)
A killer on and off the tables, James ‘Wild Bill’ Hickok certainly lived up to his moniker. He was involved in a number of shootouts, killing several men in the process, and spied for the Union Army during the Civil War.
However, he died with cards in his hand, taking a bullet to the back after busting out a competitor. His last hand (said to be two pair, black aces and eights with an unknown hole card) was thereafter known as the ‘dead man’s hand.’
1) Dona Maria Getrudes Barcelo
Dona Barcelo’s fame stemmed from misfortune. After her husband left her, she was left destitute and turned to gambling to support herself and her children.
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Fortunately, this Southern beauty turned out to have a knack for cards and became a favourite of Mexican locals in Santa Fe, who dubbed her as ‘la Tules’ (Spanish for ‘thin’ or ‘reed’). Barcelo eventually became the richest woman in the city as well as the most famous female gambler of her time.
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Originally published on 30/04/14. Updated 22/06/17.