Football and gambling have become intertwined over the past few decades, with each industry reaping rewards from their hugely lucrative partnership.
Betting brands have raised their profile through sponsorships in football, with clubs have boosted their coffers by banking the revenue those firms have pumped into the sport.
Operators of reputable gaming platforms such as Richard Casino can significantly increase their customer database if they establish partnerships with the football industry.
The link between the two sectors has inevitably led to an increase in the number of players who gamble, particularly on sportsbooks and online casino sites.
Advancements in smartphone technology and improved Wi-Fi connectivity are among the elements which have helped to make gambling a 24/7/365 pastime.
Several Arsenal players have developed a strong affinity with gambling, albeit with differing results. Read on as look at some famous Arsenal players and their gambling habits.
Ray Parolur
Ray Parlour part of a successful Arsenal era where many of the players were renowned as much for their off-field exploits as their efforts during the season.
In addition to making more than 460 appearances for the Gunners, Parlour was also renowned for his ability on the online poker scene.
Under his nickname ‘The Romford Pele’, the former midfielder most notably won a £5.50 buy-in tournament featuring 2,265 participants.
Parlour has also admitted to playing under different monikers on online poker sites, and you may even have faced him at the tables without actually knowing!
Paul Merson
While Parlour appears to have enjoyed a fruitful relationship with gambling, the same cannot be said for former teammate Paul Merson.
In an emotional interview with the BBC in 2021, Merson admitted that he had lost more than £7 million during a life dogged by different addictions.
He revealed that he had also struggled with cocaine and alcohol abuse, but found gambling to be the compulsion which caused him the most issues.
Merson is undoubtedly the poster boy for the mantra of never gambling more than you can comfortably afford to lose and treating the activity purely as an entertainment pastime.
Tony Adams
Tony Adams was the beating heart of an Arsenal defence which is still renowned as one of the greatest ever backlines to grace professional football.
Adams had a penchant for excessive off-field behaviour, most notably alcohol and drug use. Gambling was also an issue for the former England captain.
However, he has put those bitter experiences to good use to establish Sporting Chance – a clinic which provides a wide range of therapy services to people in sport.
Adams has stressed that the charity is not anti-gambling or anti-drinking, but believes each industry has a duty to protect people who have addictive personalities.
Niklas Bendtner
While not many Arsenal fans will look back on Niklas Bendtner’s time at the club with much fondness, it is fair to say that he did provide some headline moments.
One of his most notorious antics came during the 2012 European Championship, when he was fined £80,000 for revealing underwear sponsored by a leading betting brand.
The fine was hugely excessive considering UEFA’s farcically low sanctions issued to several nations after their fans racially abused players during games.
Bendtner also nearly blew £400,000 at a casino in 2011, although he battled back to recoup most of losses in a truly remarkable turnaround.
