Gambling: Wayne Rooney loses £500,000 in reckless betting spree at casino
The Man United and England star ran up the bill on roulette and blackjack as he desperately chased his losses.
Wayne Rooney blew a fortune on betting spree while wife Coleen was away in Europe with their three children.
One witness at Manchester’s 235 Casino said: “He was gambling a lot on red and seemed to be in his own world.”
Gambling-mad Rooney frittered away more than £4,000 a minute on blackjack and roulette during the casino losing spree.
Onlookers said the Manchester Utd and England legend arrived at the casino alone at midnight and spent two hours switching between the two games as he knocked back beers.
One witness said: “Wayne was being extremely reckless, laying down chips which amounted to massive bets.
“He was drinking bottles of beer. But he wasn’t drunk.
“He was more interested in the gambling than drinking.
“He was gambling a lot on red when he was playing roulette — which seemed appropriate — and was putting long-shot bets on solo numbers. He kept losing but that just prompted him to bet more.”
“He was chasing his losses, which was just making things worse for him. People in the casino were looking at him and were stunned at what was happening.
“He was cursing under his breath and seemed to be in his own little world — fixated on the tables and all the machines around them.
“He looked really down in the mouth towards the end.
“But the casino staff always look after him and he gets VIP treatment in there. He obviously earns a lot but it is still a pretty crazy amount to lose.”
Bet we win … Rooney has struggled for form this year despite being the club’s record goal-scorer
The spree comes after UK football has been rocked by a series of gambling scandals — including an 18-month ban for Burnley’s Joey Barton over betting on matches.
The witness said: “It was midnight when he arrived and the middle of the week so there weren’t that many people in the casino. Wayne went to the VIP area and was in there until 2am.”
“He was losing thousands a minute, and hundreds of thousands per hour. It’s an unbelievable amount.
“The problem with Wayne is he thinks he’s lucky and that he’s always going to win.
“But the truth is he’s not and he is not half as good at a blackjack or roulette table as he is on the pitch.”
Wayne Rooney features in the new trailer for the forthcoming movie Logan
Rooney, who is still officially England captain, admitted in his autobiography that Coleen had been furious when he lost £50,000 gambling early in his career.
And she is likely to be equally angry about the latest spree.
A separate source said: “Coleen was away in Europe with the boys. This is the last place on earth she would want Wayne to be — and that’s before he’s gambled away half a million quid in a few hours.
“I wouldn’t want to be in Wayne’s shoes when Coleen finds out. It’s an obscene amount of money in anybody’s book.
"She is sensible and a successful businesswoman, so this will horrify her.”
