Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ENGLAND STAR BET ON HIS OWN TRANSFER
Bid to win £5,000 from move as insider reveals players wager millions in secret
AN England footballer bet £500 on his own transfer in a bid to win £5,000, amid claims of a gambling crisis in the game.
And bookies allegedly offer stars who lose millions VIP perks to keep betting. An insider said: “They get invites to big events.”
FOOTBALL stars are blowing millions of pounds on gambling after being wooed by bookies promising a host of freebies and glamour invites, an insider has claimed.
And the whistleblower alleged bosses allowed them to carry on betting even after they had lost fortunes and were showing signs of addiction. Account managers offer wealthy players from across the Premier League VIP incentives such as invites to horse racing, Formula One and top football matches as well as offers of free booze, parties and entertainment packages. Lifting the lid on the gambling craze sweeping the game, the insider told how one England star bet £500 on his own transfer to a top flight club in a bid to win £5,000. And a Premier League defender squandered £500,000 on mobile phone casino games in a year, leaving him with just pennies in an account that once held £1.2million. One Scotland star begged bookies to close his account after blowing £25,000 on slot machines and roulette, telling them: “My gambling is out of control.” And another player lost half of the £500,000 he deposited in his bets fund. The insider, from a major UK bookie, said: “Top players get invites to big sports events. They give them goodies so they get them to spend money, and free food and booze when they get there. “One PL defender at a struggling club lost £500,000 on his mobile phone. “Gambling on casino games is just too easy. You lose in seconds, on a spin. “The England player who bet on his own transfer was sussed and the bet was voided. He had one account closed. He set up another £40,000 account for roulette. They let him play. They do pick up big names. “If it was Joe Average, not a footballer, they would not be allowed to continue playing. They would have been banned.” The Association of British Bookmakers said a host of new responsible measures had been