Patrick Kluivert

In 2011 and 2012, Kluivert (42) built up a debt of over one million euros with a criminal gambling syndicate by betting large amounts on football matches on a weekly basis.

Justice has no indication that Kluivert was involved in match fixing. Judicial documents show that in 2011 and 2012, when he was trainer of the promises of FC Twente, Kluivert gambled at first team games. With these bets he earned 15,669 euros. This was not explicitly forbidden at the time, but now it is.

Michael Chopra

Attacker of Ipswich Town, placed an interesting photo on Twitter in February 2013; a bag full of 20 pound notes. Salient detail: the 34-year-old striker suffered from a considerable gambling addiction in the past.

Chopra gave no less than 2 million pounds in 2011, about £ 20,000 a day. Ipswich Town lent him £ 250,000 in that year to pay off debts. His last season, the attacker spent 3 weeks in a clinic to get rid of his addiction.

Luc Nilis

Nilis made 127 goals for PSV, won the Dutch Golden Shoe and was top scorer of the Netherlands twice. From PSV he made the switch to Aston Villa where he sustained a double leg fracture during his third race. This injury ended his football career.

Nilis then went to work as a manager and technical director, but that did not work out well. "Those were two blows in one year, while you have just recovered and from then on I did not want to do anything anymore", says Nilis.

But sitting at home turned out to be no solution. He missed the adrenaline and chose the wrong path. He became addicted to gambling, his marriage dont survive this and Nilis lost almost all of his capital.

Glenn Helder

Attacker from Sparta, Vitesse, Arsenal and Benfica. In London, Helder betrayed his capital in the casino, after which a huge debt followed. He ended up in jail for seven months for threats, ill-treatment, theft and forbidden possession of weapons.

Glenn even went so down the drane that he had to sleep in his car. Psychological research showed that Helder suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder with borderline features, for which he was also treated. He scribbles again and can be booked for parties as a percussionist.