Online casinos are known both for life-changing wins and devastating losses. Real-life dramas involving players going bust are not that uncommon. Sadly enough, some players realize it’s time to stop only after having lost all they have.
Omar Sharif
Cinema lovers probably know the name of Omar Sherif, an Egyptian actor distinguished with numerous prestigious awards. He even had an Academy Award nomination and won three Golden Globe Awards. In 2015, he passed away at the age of 83. His relationship with gambling is a sad and fascinating one.
Although Sharif’s acting career included plenty of films, only few of them were really good. He agreed to any movies, even second-rate and cheap ones. The reason behind such an unscrupulous behavior became known only later. The truth is that Sharif was a gambling addict and constantly needed money to play. Sharif experienced lengthy losing streaks and was in permanent debt. The actor had to accept all offers coming in from various directors. Furthermore, he suffered from depression.
It may come as a surprise but Sharif didn’t experience any kind of gambling excitement. He later admitted that he had visited casinos to enjoy the luxurious atmosphere and the company of pretty women. His everyday life lacked any of such pleasures.
The result was easy to predict. Sharif gambled away all he had. However, he had the guts to visit all casinos and race courses and ask their owners not to let him in.
Luckily, Omar overcame his gambling addiction and replaced casino games with contract bridge. He was even ranked among the world’s best contract bridge players. Sharif co-wrote a bridge column for the Chicago Tribune.
In 2006, Sharif quit playing bridge and decided to focus on his acting career. During his last acting years, he even participated in a successful movie that brought him several high-ranking awards.
Keith Gillespie
Nowadays, few people remember the name of Keith Gillespie. A northern Irish football player, he started his career at the legendary Manchester United. Gillespie was about 20 at the time, and his name quickly became known all over Britain. The future looked good for the young and talented footballer. However, his gambling problem came in between Keith and his success.
All in all, he gambled away about 7 million pounds. The court declared the footballer legally bankrupt. Gillespie told the sad story of his life in his book called How Not to Be a Football Millionaire.
Today, Gillerspie lives a quiet life. His former co-players, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs, have built successful careers, while Gillerspieis better known for his gambling problems rather than his football skills.
According to Gillespie, gambling addiction is quite common among footballers. Now the 41-year-old Gillerspie lives on welfare. He is optimistic about the future and believes that he’ll make the world talk about him once again.
