Rooney ‘blew £500,000’ in two-hour casino spree

WAYne Rooney blew £500,000 in a two-hour gambling spree at a casino, it was reported yesterday.

the england footballer played blackjack and roulette on his own during a late-night visit.

Witnesses said Rooney, 31, was also knocking back beers and cut a tragic figure at Manchester’s 235 casino.

the spree occurred after the midfielder was forced to sit out a european game at old trafford due to injury and while his wife and sons were abroad. He arrived shortly after midnight and the sun reported that he lost huge amounts before leaving around 2am.

sources at his club, Manchester United, told the Mail the amount lost by Rooney was nearer £250,000, but this amount will still concern club bosses. He has struggled to get into the team this season but despite warnings from manager Jose Mourinho about his drinking habits, Rooney, who earns £300,000 a week, has also been spotted downing pints and chewing tobacco in recent weeks. Both incidents have led to speculation that – frustrated by his lack of form and uncertainty over his future – the player is finding other avenues to replace his footballing highs.

one witness, who watched Rooney at the casino on March 16, told the sun: ‘Wayne was extremely reckless.

‘He was drinking bottles of beer but he wasn’t drunk. He was gambling a lot on red when he was playing roulette – which seemed appropriate – and putting long-shot bets on solo numbers. He kept losing but that just prompted him to bet more. He was chasing his losses, which was just making things worse.

‘He was cursing under his breath and seemed to be in his own little world. He earns a lot but it is still a pretty crazy amount to lose.’

In his autobiography My story so Clashes: Rooney with wife Coleen Far, Rooney revealed that he began gambling on horse racing as a teenager at former club everton and also admitted that he has clashed with wife Coleen over his gambling.

‘When I was at home on my own, watching horseracing, dog racing or a football match I had no involvement with, I’d often put on a bet to make it more interesting,’ he said.

‘I wasn’t putting on huge amounts. After about a year though I had lost £50,000, which was stupid. When Coleen found out she was furious. I said I would give up which I did.’

However, in 2006 it was revealed he ran up debts of £700,000 in a secret england dressing-room gambling ring. It is understood Mrs Rooney was on a trip with the couple’s sons Kai, seven, Klay, three and one-yearold Kit, when he visited the casino.

steve Pope, a psychotherapist who has treated Premier League footballers for gambling addiction, said Rooney ought to get counselling. ‘It sounds like he’s looking for alternative highs because his football career is failing,’ he said.

‘I’ve worked with hundreds of footballers and the reason they’re addicted is because they obsess about their football and have an addictive personality.’

the footballer’s spokesman declined to comment.

‘Cursing under his breath’