Casino’s Continue To Attract International Sports Stars
The list of A-list celebrities and international sports stars who are attracted to casinos has grown considerably over the last few years. Tennis ace Rafael Nadal, Cricket superstar Shane Warne and Brazilian football legend Ronaldo are just some of the global super stars who regularly show up at the casinos.
Two of the biggest football players on the planet Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique who play for Barcelona were recently photographed outside the Casino de Barcelona along with Chelsea’s Cesc Fàbregas.
The players were seen enjoying themselves on the evening of 22nd of February, a few hours before they could board a plane to England for their Champions League Match against Manchester City on the 24th of Feb.
The pictures drew criticism from the media as Barcelona had lost their match against Malaga 1-0 on the 21st of February and some sections of the media felt that Messi and Pique needed to be more focused and be an example to the rest of the squad. Luis Enrique, Barcelona’s coach did not appear to be too concerned as he said that he did not want to interfere into the personal lives of his players and believed they were professionals who were capable of separating their personal life from their professional life.
Messi and Pique were not the only ones spotted in a casino last week. Ex-Pakistani cricketer and now chief selector Moin Khan was also photographed at a casino in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Pakistani team lost both their world cup matches and has embarrassed their fans back home. Moin Khan is also a Muslim and under Islamic law gambling is prohibited.
In a statement, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Shehryar Khan said
We have launched an investigation over the reports that Moin Khan visited a casino, action will be taken if the reports prove true. As per initial reports, Moin Khan went there to have a meal two days before the match against West Indies and a Pakistani couple photographed him and made a video. But we will not make anybody a scapegoat and will investigate this incident before taking any action
Casinos across the globe have been designed to provide world-class entertainment services from shopping centers, movie theatres, nightclubs and casino tables and games. They continue to be a major attraction for international sport stars who want to spend their money and experience a night of fun.