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Read Full BioFormer tennis star Boris Becker has revealed that poker debts incurred in a UK prison put his life in danger.
Becker is releasing a memoir, which reports on his time spent behind bars in 2022. The three-time Wimbledon winner was sentenced to 30 months in jail over his failure to turn over assets when declaring bankruptcy in 2017.
During this time, Becker said he played poker with inmates and racked up debt to Romanian criminals. Speaking to German media Suddeutsche Zeitung, Becker commented: “I had played poker professionally after tennis, so I thought, ‘What could go wrong?’ But I was playing with real criminals who came into my cell and threatened me if I didn’t pay.”
He was eventually able to escape any repercussions after contacting a friend who sent money to pay off his £500 ($677) debt. He says that it was “foolish” to join the games, but admitted his love for poker led to the temptation.
After his tennis career, he earned over $100,000 in poker tournaments, but that was not enough to stave off mounting debts over the years.
Becker Went Bankrupt Despite Massive Tennis Earnings
Becker earned over $25 million in his tennis career and also had lucrative sponsorship deals after his career ended. He served as a PokerStars ambassador from 2007 to 2014. Subsequently, he partnered with GG Poker in 2020.
However, he squandered much of his wealth on a lavish lifestyle and poor business decisions. He also says that he lost a considerable amount of money gambling.
Becker’s prosecution in the UK followed a conviction in Germany in 2002 for tax evasion, but at that time, he faced only a fine. He was declared bankrupt in 2017 after failing to pay debts of over £50 million ($67 million).
He hopes to recoup some of the money he lost through the release of his new book — “Inside” — which focuses on his time in jail. In addition to his story of racking up poker debt, he commented that incarceration “eats away at your soul and boils your mind.”
Even after being out for almost three years, he said that he will “never completely shake that time.”
Neymar Loses at WSOOP Final Table
In other poker news, Neymar lost out on the chance to win his first major title. The Brazilian soccer player finished last at the final table of a high-roller event at the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP).
The former Barcelona striker earned $26,111 from a $10,000 buy-in after making the top seven. He participated in the event while telling his current club Santos that he cannot play in this weekend’s match.
The club is facing a relegation battle and currently sits in 16th place after 21 matches. However, Neymar stated that he will be unable to play against Atletico Mineiro this weekend due to their artificial turf pitch.
Like Becker was in the past, Neymar is a PokerStars ambassador and may increase his poker tournament appearances as his soccer career winds down. The 33-year-old will hope to avoid Becker’s fate of ending up behind bars. He is reportedly worth $350 million and could be set to inherit over $1 billion after a Brazilian businessman named him as his sole heir.
The 31-year-old from Porto Alegre is reported to have left his entire fortune to Neymar, despite never meeting the player. Brazilian rules around inheritance usually stipulate that at least 50% must be passed to family members, so it is unclear as yet whether Neymar will actually receive the money.
