Owen admits to gambling losses of £30,000-£40,000

MICHAEL OWEN has admitted running up losses of between £30,000-£40,000 from his “occasional” flutters.

The gambling habits of the Liverpool and England striker have been the subject of increasing speculation over the weekend.

Owen's love of horseracing is well known. As well as being a keen owner, the 23-year-old has recently moved into a new house with pregnant girlfriend Louise which has stables attached. And he insists his passion for the Sport of Kings will remain unaffected even though Bobby Charlton yesterday described the sums involved as 'vulgar' when asked for his opinion on high-stakes card games played by some players plus Eidur Gudjohnsen's claim he has lost £400,000 at casinos since his move to Chelsea.

"I fully accept that high profile sports people like me are a role model for youngsters and I would never encourage anyone to gamble," said Owen. "I have gambled occasionally but to nowhere near the levels I have seen reported. This publicity will not stop my love for horses. They are my main hobby outside of football.

"My partner, Louise and I are expecting our first baby soon and this and our new home complete with stables will keep me more than occupied in the future."

A spokesman for Owen admitted that the player had placed bets through his father's off-shore account and his losses total 'between £30,000 and £40,000' over the past couple of years. "Although the sums represent a tiny percentage of his earnings, Michael and his family know how important even £100 is to a normal household," the spokesman continued. "It was not long ago that their family of seven lived together in a tiny house in a North Wales village."

Charlton wondered about the wisdom of highly paid professionals squandering so much money when he has seen such poverty travelling the world in his role as a footballing ambassador.

"If the stories of people losing £30,000 at cards are true, then it is a lot of money," he said. "When you see kids around the world who can't get anything to eat because they have no money, it is vulgar."

Owen is not the first professional footballer to be hit by the horseracing bug. Former England striker Mike Channon is now a highly-respected trainer after initially owning a few horses, while Owen's ex-Liverpool team-mates Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman have also invested some of their money in horses.

Kevin Keegan is another racing enthusiast, his wife, Jean, owning the winner of last year's Ayr Gold Cup.

However, none has been as successful as Alex Ferguson, whose horse Rock of Gibraltar will go down as one of the greatest colts of all-time after landing a record seven Group One victories.