Few people know that bets on sports are not only made by regular people like you and me. Even less people know that some of the most popular players in the top tier of English football are actually enthusiastic punters.
In the past it would have been much more difficult for these players to place a bet due to the fact that they would have had to ask other people to do it for them and the biggest problem with people is that they talk.
However, these days it is much easier to place a bet or two because sports betting sites have made it much easier for professional players to remain anonymous when placing a bet. Because of this there are lots of professional football players who wager every weekend, but the general public remains in the dark as to who they are.
Nevertheless, some players just cannot keep their mouths shut and thanks to that we now know that there is a big majority of football players who bet on football matches week in week out.
Cameron Jerome
Jerome is the definition of a journeyman striker. He has played for lots of EPL and Championship clubs and currently is playing for Turkish Super Lig side Goztepe. He was at his best when he was playing for Stoke in the early 2010s and it was during that time that it became common knowledge that the powerful forward liked to make a wager every once and again.
He was one of the reasons why the Football Association in England decided to ban players not just from betting on matches in the Premier League, but also on matches which were played anywhere else in the world.
As an avid punter this must have been a huge blow for Cameron, but we can’t say that we disagree. Just imagine the advantage to normal punters that Jerome would have had when it came to certain types of bets.
During his time in Stoke Tony Pulis was replaced by Mark Hughes and Jerome could have made a fortune betting on who the new manager would have been considering the inside information that he had. In fact, he was one of the players whose relationship with Pulis deteriorated over time and he could have even had a hand in his demise. However, you couldn’t blame the man as he was only trying to have a winning bet.
Andros Townsend
Former Tottenham winger Andros Townsend was supposed to have a bright future. However, after a couple of years of inconsistent performances the Tottenham board lost faith in him and decided to ship the pacy winger to pastures new.
Andros didn’t mind that, not one bit in fact, as he already found a hobby to make him happy. Townsend is one of the few players who have openly spoken about wagering on games and he certainly seems like a player who would not shy away from making a cheeky punt.
Currently he is playing for EPL side Crystal Palace and seems to have finally found a team which suits his needs and talents. It is unknown whether he still wagers regularly, but with the free time that footballers have these days it would be hard not to.
Dan Gosling
Gosling is one of the few players to have been charged with betting misconduct by the FA for ‘multiple breaches’. The former Everton midfielder will always be remembered for ‘that’ goal against Liverpool in the 2008-2009 season, but not for much else.
That’s why it is no surprise that it was during those days that he started betting on football matches. These days he plays regularly for AFC Bournemouth and it is unknown whether he still likes the occasional wager.
