(AsiaGameHub) – A former teammate of AC Milan manager Max Allegri has disclosed how the veteran football coach scores major wins at casinos.
On the DoppioPasso podcast, Gianluca Atzori shared an anecdote about a gambling session with the former Juventus boss.
Atzori and Allegri played together at Perugia during the 1990s when the team earned promotion from Serie B. The squad would celebrate wins by visiting gambling establishments.
“We traveled to Venice for a match, and Allegri informed us that a victory would be followed by a casino visit, instructing us to pack our suits. He mentioned this to me and (Federico) Giunti,” Atzori remembered.
Following Perugia’s victory, the players headed straight for the gaming tables.
Allegri Rewards Croupiers Generously
Atzori continued, “We each contributed 500,000 lire (approximately $350) and handed it to Allegri; he was fond of casinos and navigated them expertly.”
“It was my first time inside a casino. At the roulette table, the croupier spun the ball as Allegri placed his wager. When the ball settled on his chosen number, Max reacted with childlike excitement, and our payout was 36 times our original bet.”
“He then made a second wager, doubling his stake. Our winnings grew from 3.6 million to 7 million; across two bets we accumulated 10 million (roughly $7,000), and he handed the croupier a 2 million ($1,400) gratuity.”
In games of chance such as roulette, players seek any advantage possible. Various strategies exist, including the James Bond method, which involves spreading bets across a wide portion of the table.
Atzori initially disapproved of Allegri’s lavish tipping, though he later understood it was a calculated move to secure the croupier’s goodwill.
“When I witnessed this, I seized him by the chest and exclaimed: ‘That’s my money too – 2 million – have you lost your mind?’ Yet I failed to grasp that generously tipping the croupier might influence him, intentionally or not, to guide the ball toward your numbers since he anticipated another substantial gratuity. Ultimately, we walked away with considerable winnings.”
Previous Gambling Controversies
As Atzori noted, Allegri’s well-known gambling habit has previously created difficulties for the former footballer and coach.
In 2000, he received a suspension amid match-fixing allegations while at Pistoiese. The charges were later dismissed after an appeal.
More recently, in 2021, he faced investigation for allegedly utilizing a Malta-based gambling firm to launder money, with suspected connections to the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate.
He reportedly expended over $400,000 across two overseas casinos. Financial regulators labeled these transactions as “suspicious,” triggering additional probes. No legal consequences have materialized from the case.
The 58-year-old currently serves his second term as AC Milan manager, returning to the club last year. He previously guided Juventus to five straight Serie A championships between 2014 and 2019.
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