How Nicklas Bendtner Lost £5.4 Million Playing Poker

Nicklas Bendtner, who played for Arsenal from 2005-2014, recently talked about losing £5.4 million through poker. He discussed his poker addiction with his model girlfriend, Philine Roepstorff, through a Danish reality TV show.

Bendtner started playing poker early on in his football career at age 19. He initially played for reasonable stakes but began increasing his bets along with his salary.

“I lost a lot of money, an unrealistic amount,” he notes. “It's hard to say how much it was in reality, but I'd estimate that it was almost 50 million Korona (around £5.4 million).”

One might think that Bendtner has a serious gambling problem based on his losses. However, the Danish striker believes that he’s never lost control.

“It was something that I was always in control of and I simply betted big sums of money.”

How Did Bendtner Lose This Much through Poker?

Bendtner started playing in some of London’s biggest cash games throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s. He eventually got to the point where he was playing at stakes above his skill level.

“Sometimes in London, things would get out of control on a night and things could really have ended badly,” Bendtner says. “Now I place smaller bets of 100 Korona (around £12).”

He’s no stranger to controversy. Following Arsenal’s Champions League loss to Manchester United in 2009, Bendtner was spotted leaving a London nightclub with his pants down around his ankles.

He once received a one-match ban and an £80,000 fine from the UEFA following an advertising stunt. After scoring against Portugal, he pulled down his shorts to reveal a Paddy Power logo on his underwear. Paddy Power covered his £80k fine.

In March 2013, Bendtner was arrested for drunken driving. The Danish Football Association suspended him from international play for six months afterward.

Taking all of these incidents into account, the fact that Bendtner lost considerable amounts of money through poker is no shock.

What is Bendtner Doing These Days?

At 32 years old, Nicklas Bendtner’s best playing days are behind him. He had a strong stint for Rosenborg (Norway), scoring 24 goals in 57 appearances from 2017-2019.

He signed with F.C. Copenhagen in September 2019. Bendtner only appeared in six contests and scored one goal before ending his time with the club in December.

Bendtner could likely find another club to play for if he chooses to do so. For now, though, he’s focusing on his reality show, Bendtner and Philine.