Are athletes also becoming problem gamblers?

[Fredomago]

It could be true though, Michael Jordan during the height of his career are gambling and his father's death could be related to gambling as well. Even when they are playing golf with co-players and other wealthy individuals, they put bet on the line, just for the sake of "playing" aka "gambling". And of course, athletes have money to burn, so one way is going out with their friends and families on trip to the Strip and gamble.

When you do have money then you can really think off things just similar into those people who are earning average and since you know that you have tons then betting on something like your hobby against other people
would really be simply called gambling.Im much aware about MJ activity or involvement about gambling which did really make significant impact on his life.

Money moves them to what they really want to do. Athletes who's earning decently have that mindset that they can easily earn this money back. The appetite for playing / gambling is more intense than those ordinary gamblers.

Some also might be affected by social lifestyle, thinking that people around gambling business will respect them when they've seen them willing to risk a huge amount of money.

Lots of people to appreciate you inside gambling industry if you can bring more money around.

[Kemarit]

{..snip..}

From what I've seen there is a bit of substance to this claim.

Athletes generally aren't the most financially savvy, nor are they the most emotionally stable.

Plenty of stories of NFL/NBA/MLB players who have gotten bankrupt immediately after retirement because of the stream of money that has stopped flowing in, as well as their compulsive gambling addictions. They're a high risk group for sure.

Yeah, it's well documented that athletes are not really good at protecting their money.

And most of them really throw them all in gambling, because they are emotionally stable and perhaps there's no one behind to help them out on their financials that's why they fall and become a gambling addict.

And when the money stops, majority of them become bankrupt or file for bankruptcy.

[Dave1]

It could be true though, Michael Jordan during the height of his career are gambling and his father's death could be related to gambling as well. Even when they are playing golf with co-players and other wealthy individuals, they put bet on the line, just for the sake of "playing" aka "gambling". And of course, athletes have money to burn, so one way is going out with their friends and families on trip to the Strip and gamble.

When you do have money then you can really think off things just similar into those people who are earning average and since you know that you have tons then betting on something like your hobby against other people
would really be simply called gambling.Im much aware about MJ activity or involvement about gambling which did really make significant impact on his life.

Right, the Michael Jordan vs Charles Barkley golf betting is well documented. $20k-$50k per hole or even $100k? that's not friendly game but gambling itself.

And then we have Antonie Walker of the Boston Celtics, who blew his $100 m salary throughout his NBA career. And there was a story that he and his friends will travel to Las Vegas casinos and gamble, all on him. So when he retires, he doesn't have any money and file for bankruptcy. But now he turns into financial advisor for young and upcoming NBA rookie players.

So yes, athletes has the tendency to gamble and worst become gambling addicts.

[xypos]

Oh, they're not 'becoming' problem gamblers. They were always somewhat troubled by the idea of easy money I think.

I think that if you look in the news you'll find no shortage of sporting legends that have gone bankrupt due to gambling and other excesses.

It seems to be a mentality thing - they always want to win and they don't understand that gambling isn't one of the things where the effort you put in actually has an affect on the outcome.

[Rruchi man]

It could be true though, Michael Jordan during the height of his career are gambling and his father's death could be related to gambling as well. Even when they are playing golf with co-players and other wealthy individuals, they put bet on the line, just for the sake of "playing" aka "gambling". And of course, athletes have money to burn, so one way is going out with their friends and families on trip to the Strip and gamble.

When you do have money then you can really think off things just similar into those people who are earning average and since you know that you have tons then betting on something like your hobby against other people
would really be simply called gambling.Im much aware about MJ activity or involvement about gambling which did really make significant impact on his life.

And then we have Antonie Walker of the Boston Celtics, who blew his $100 m salary throughout his NBA career. And there was a story that he and his friends will travel to Las Vegas casinos and gamble, all on him. So when he retires, he doesn't have any money and file for bankruptcy. But now he turns into financial advisor for young and upcoming NBA rookie players.

For the case of Antonie Walker, he didn't just gamble his fortune away, reports say he had developed a very expensive taste in exotic cars, clothes etc, he liked to hang out in the big and happening places like the casino's and spend some money for show. It was a case of someone who was exposed to so much wealth without the financial capacity to manage it and soon he hit bankruptcy.

 Personalities matter a lot, that is, the person you are really before the money comes and the person you become when the money is coming, will determine who you be when the money has come and it is time to manage it. Because of the way money comes in from sports, some athletes without discipline pick up some expensive habits along the way like hanging out in casino's and gambling. When they retire from sports, the lifestyle picked up doesn't retire with them, they continue to visit their favourite places and spend more money in such places like the casino's until it starts becoming a problem to them and their families finances.

So i do not believe that all athletes are prone to becoming problem gamblers, its all a matter of personality.

[Darker45]

I think I don't agree. I haven't read the whole article, though, because the site asked me to agree to their terms before allowing complete access. Unless a reliable scientific study is conducted in line with this claim, I think I withhold my agreement. I mean, to begin with, how high is the percentage of gamblers among athletes? And among these gamblers, how many of them are actually problematic gamblers? We need hard figures. My observation is that most of the athletes are busy enough to become too enmeshed in gambling.

[molsewid]

For the case of Antonie Walker, he didn't just gamble his fortune away, reports say he had developed a very expensive taste in exotic cars, clothes etc, he liked to hang out in the big and happening places like the casino's and spend some money for show. It was a case of someone who was exposed to so much wealth without the financial capacity to manage it and soon he hit bankruptcy.

 Personalities matter a lot, that is, the person you are really before the money comes and the person you become when the money is coming, will determine who you be when the money has come and it is time to manage it. Because of the way money comes in from sports, some athletes without discipline pick up some expensive habits along the way like hanging out in casino's and gambling. When they retire from sports, the lifestyle picked up doesn't retire with them, they continue to visit their favourite places and spend more money in such places like the casino's until it starts becoming a problem to them and their families finances.

So i do not believe that all athletes are prone to becoming problem gamblers, its all a matter of personality.

It's undeniable that many athletes get a high paid salary based on their skills on the game but only few of the athletes know how to manage their money wisely. Though those athletes deserves to treat themselves whatever they wanted from the hard earned they have and expensive cars, luxuries and entertainment like gambling were just one on the list of their expenses. I think the matter of fact that an athletes were competitive and for sure this kind of character will be brought even in gambling activities and they become more aggressive when they lose. I would going to agree with your statement mate that the personality of an athlete will matter in terms of sustaining the wealth that they earned through their career.

[Alisha-k]

Their competitiveness and productivity would attract them to gambling but doesn't make them more prone to gambling addiction than others I think any body can be addicted to gambling not just the athletes alone it's more of individual choices and how each one goes about their gambling vices. I just think if gambling quest is not properly managed such persons could get addicted

[Poker Player]

-snip

Interesting, I hadn't heard this theory, although I don't know if I believe it at all, as others have commented.

I think it would be better supported by serious studies with concrete statistics but it is difficult to carry them out.

Another thing that has not been mentioned and could make athletes more likely to gamble is depending on their background. I think there could be a relation to:

"According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article, 35% of National Football League (NFL) players are either bankrupt or are under financial stress within two years of retirement and an estimated 60% of National Basketball Association (NBA) players, 78% NFL players, and a large percentage of Major League Baseball (MLB)..."

Many of them come from poor backgrounds, have not had much education, let alone financial education. Suddenly they find themselves with a lot of money and they just know what to spend. They are more emotional than rational people. So, I think just as they are more likely to go bankrupt, they may also be more likely to gamble and get into trouble.

[mindrust]

Accordingly to this article, athletes are more prone to developing gambling addiction than another individuals

Sounds like a mental weakness to me. An athlete should be strong both mentally and physically. If she/he gets addicted to alcohol, smoking or gambling (or any other bad habit) that means he/she is not mentally strong to become an athlete.

In other words, these people are not really athletes in the first place. They are pseudo-athletes.

[acroman08]

Or is it just bullshit and another attempt of distancing gambling sponsors from sports' industry? What do you think? Share your opinion, please.

yeah, maybe. I mean, there are some truth on what they said regarding athletes being more prone to gambling addiction due to their competitive behavior. but then again these athletes are individual with different life values and discipline. them saying that athletes wanting to win because of "it is a sense of superiority and power, and thus winning is the only option for them as they do not like defeat." is just plain bullshit.

[Fortify]

Accordingly to this article, athletes are more prone to developing gambling addiction than another individuals: Athletes and problem gambling: what do you need to know?

They present the following reasons to justify potential levels of addiction among players and athletes:

• Players and athletes are technically more prone to gambling addiction due to the signs of compulsive gambling like winning expectations, energy levels, competitive spirit, and high IQ levels.

• Athletes have higher tendencies of gambling because of their skill set. These people start gambling for the challenges and competitors attached to it but it adds to the risk of getting addicted over time.

• The competitive spirit and potential have led the athletes to gamble in multiple forms. Along with these comes an additional addiction to alcohol and drugs. Gambling helps them financially and is highly lucrative. The cycle of addiction begins with wanting to get back what is lost which leads to more losses or wins and so on.

• In the case of a normal person, after losing money in gambling, he might want to move to safer ways that would eventually help to recover his losses. Whereas, among athletes, it is a sense of superiority and power, and thus winning is the only option for them as they do not like defeat. More money is invested into gambling, and it goes on.  This is where their addiction begins.

It's not a secret many popular athletes had or still have issues with gambling addiction during their lifetime, which prejudiced their personal lives and careers. Is the mentioned competitive spirit a double edge sword, which helps the athlete to improve his performance, but at same time lead him to an insatiable desire for winnings that may end in a frustrated attempt of beating the casinos?

Or is it just bullshit and another attempt of distancing gambling sponsors from sports' industry? What do you think? Share your opinion, please.

The first point seems a little bit strange when it gets to the "High IQ" reference and I am not sure it necessarily applies to athletes. People with a high IQ would naturally be able to see what a futile folly gambling is over the long term and generally be able to avoid it because they understand the simple math, of course there will be some people who defy that logic but hopefully not most. You also mention drugs and alcohol, which goes against what most athletes believe in - the most high intensity sporting professions will require you to be in peak physical form at all times to be competitive, so if you have these addictions it is unlikely that you have gotten very far in that profession. Other things you say might be true, but some of your reasoning seems a bit off.

[delfastTions]

In my opinion, of course, famous athletes who have earned a lot of money are not very well versed in how to spend it.  And they can easily make big bets in various gambling games.  However, the main reason for sportsmen's addiction to gambling is not their wealth, but character traits.  The fact is that the athlete himself can be said to be an initially purposeful person aimed at achieving the highest result in sports.  And it is this trait of their character that makes the athlete participate in gambling with great zeal. 
In my opinion, this is the main motive for their participation in gambling.

[Strongkored]

We all know that athletes, especially if they are famous enough, their lives will be in the media spotlight, and this really causes stress in their lives, every result of the match they get will always be criticized by the media, and gambling which is often also considered as entertainment will bring them to do it, but again can't judge that athletes will becoming problem gamblers, could be why some say that athletes can become problem gamblers just because of references from famous athletes only, so we can't generalize.

[Pmalek]

Players and athletes are technically more prone to gambling addiction due to the signs of compulsive gambling like winning expectations, energy levels, competitive spirit, and high IQ levels.

That's a weird statement to make. Athletes are surely not highly intelligent people. They might be smart and have a good understanding of the sport they play, but for most of their lives, they focused on physical development and not on the mental aspects. And a highly intelligent individual does not become a gambling addict and pisses away his future. 

In the case of a normal person, after losing money in gambling, he might want to move to safer ways that would eventually help to recover his losses. Whereas, among athletes, it is a sense of superiority and power, and thus winning is the only option for them as they do not like defeat. More money is invested into gambling, and it goes on.  This is where their addiction begins.

I agree with this. Although, all gambling addicts act in the same way. That does not apply exclusively to athletes. All gambling addicts chase wins and try to recover from losses immediately by making illogical decisions. That's how a bad situations become even worse.

[john_nautica]

I know a lot of athletes that's been addicted or lose a lot of money in gambling one of them is Michael Jordan, I really don't think that there's some patterns or relation between athletes and gambling maybe a lot of athletes earns a lot of money and they are known personality that's why they are in news but in reality not only athletes but also celebrities and not know businessman.

I really think all are vulnerable to gambling addiction not just athletes.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

It's not a secret many popular athletes had or still have issues with gambling addiction during their lifetime, which prejudiced their personal lives and careers. Is the mentioned competitive spirit a double edge sword, which helps the athlete to improve his performance, but at same time lead him to an insatiable desire for winnings that may end in a frustrated attempt of beating the casinos?

Or is it just bullshit and another attempt of distancing gambling sponsors from sports' industry? What do you think? Share your opinion, please.

I don't think it's about the athletes. but more to everyone who has more money or asset and is often in a gambling environment. regarding that statement people can make correlation of everything they want . most likely sports athletes is have a fresh mind and have a much stronger motivation than ordinary people. only a few may indeed be addicted to it.

[AicecreaME]

I disagree.

As you've mentioned, athletes has high IQ, meaning compare to normal gamblers, they are the ones who are literate when it comes on how gambling works, furthermore, athletes are busy and dedicated to hone their skills even more that's why I doubt that they have time to be addicted in gambling.

The type of people who are prone in gambling addiction are those who are illiterate when it comes to gambling, doesn't have any hobbies to keep themselves busy, that's the most type of gambling addicts you'll see.

[imstillthebest]

the first three qoutes might be present on most athetes and this makes them to gamble but this doesnt increse their chances of winning  .
 another thing that makes athelete gamble more than the regular individual is that they earn huge amount of money and they dont worry whenever they loose because they can made it again  .
 lots of athetes are in the media before because many of them got caught gambing and some are in severe addiction .

[robelneo]

All of us are prone to a gambling addiction but athletes have shown signs that they are willing to take the risk of gambling with huge money Jordan, Tigerwoods and other high profile athletes can bet millions of dollars and they have no remorse in doing this, they have the money and the means to sustain this, the only thing that leads them to gamble is they have the money, not their competitive spirit, all gamblers have competitive spirits but they cannot sustain their game, athletes who get paid handsomely have the means.