Former Arsenal Star Admits to Losing Millions Playing Poker
Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner racked up the losses since the age of 19
Former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner who played for the Gunners for nearly ten years, racking up 171 appearances and hitting 45 goals for the North London club, has admitted to having lost over £6m playing poker.
Bendtner who is currently a free agent having also played for Birmingham, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland in the English leagues, revealed his gambling spree, whilst appearing on the Danish reality show Bendtner and Philine, which he co-hosts with his girlfriend Philine Roepstorff.
The former Arsenal man revealed: “I have lost lots of money, a totally unrealistic amount. I’ve played a lot of poker in my life. I’ve been playing against a professional poker player since I was 19.”
“It is difficult to put an amount on how much I have lost, but it is around 50 million Danish crowns – £6m. This was on gambling, fun and trouble.”
Bendtner went on to stress that he did not have a gambling addiction problem though, stating: “I wouldn’t say I’ve had a gambling problem at all. I’ve always been able to control it.”
Describing his poker playing, Bendtner stated: “However in the past I played in really big games. One night in London things got out of control, and they could have ended up really wrong.
“It ended up not so badly. It was something I could have lived with. But from that night on, playing in high-stake games has been over for me. Since then I have chosen to play for far smaller amounts. Now I mostly play for the sake of the game.”
“I’m due to host a poker night with a new group of friends. We just put in 100 crowns – £12 – each.”
