Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker revealed how he found himself in a poker game with dangerous inmates while serving time in a UK prison. This eventually led him to rack up debts to hardened criminals who could have made his life miserable.
Boris Becker Talks About His Gambling Troubles in Prison
In an interview this week with German outlet SZ-Magazin to promote his new book, Boris Becker reflected on his time in prison, describing it as a harrowing experience that erodes the soul and scrambles your mind. According to SZ-Magazin, Becker’s cell was starkly furnished with just a narrow cot topped with a plastic mattress and a metal toilet without a seat. However, what disturbed him most were the nighttime screams. According to him, it sounded like people were crying out for their lives.
To cope with the psychological toll of prison life, Becker turned to poker, which is a game he’s long been passionate about. But in hindsight, Becker admits that playing behind bars was a “foolish” move. He recalled one marathon game with a group of Romanian inmates that stretched over several days. By the end, the former three-time Wimbledon champion found himself GBP 500 in debt to them.
While GBP500 may not seem like much for someone who was once worth millions, in prison, it’s a significant sum. Becker said he had to plead with a friend on the outside to settle the debt through a money transfer. Had his friend not come through, he believes the experience would have changed him in a much darker way.
Why Did Becker End Up in Prison In the First Place?
In 2022, Becker was convicted on four counts under the Insolvency Act in connection with his 2017 bankruptcy. The former world champion was accused of concealing millions in assets to avoid repaying debts after being declared bankrupt in June 2017 over an unpaid loan exceeding $3.75 million tied to his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
He was found guilty of transferring large sums, totaling GBP 390,000 (approx. $487,000) from his business account after the bankruptcy, including payments to nine individuals, among them his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker. Becker also failed to disclose ownership of a £1 million (around $1.25 million) property in his hometown of Leimen, Germany, along with a nearly £700,000 (approx. $875,000) loan secured against it. Additionally, he concealed a €825,000 (about $883,000) debt and failed to declare shares in a tech firm worth £66,000 (approx. $82,500).