Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney withdrew from a charity poker tournament after reports surfaced that he had racked up £700,000 ($1.2 million) in gambling debts. Rooney's England striking partner Michael Owen, who was implicated in Rooney's gambling debt scandal, also pulled out of the charity poker tournament. The charity poker tournament under discussion was organized by Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard and his cousin, Jamie Redknapp, formerly of Liverpool fame.

The 20-year-old football star, who earns £50,000 a week for his footwork on the field, reportedly accrued the beefy debts over the course of five months, during which time he placed bets on horse and dog races, as well as soccer games, through Stephen Smith, a business contact of Michael Owen. After a week of talks between Rooney and the bookmaker, however, Rooney managed to resolve the issue of his million dollar gambling debts.

Source: Poker777 Staff

Tuesday, 18 April 2006