The Billion-Dollar Bettor: Phil Mickelson's Alleged Lifetime Gambling Reaches Staggering Heights

According to an excerpt from Billy Walter’s new book "Gambler: Secrets From A Life At Risk," professional golfer Phil Mickelson gambled nearly $1 billion throughout the past 30 years and has likely lost close to $100 million.

Walters alleged Mickelson also tried to bet on a Ryder Cup tournament, a golf competition that he was playing in, and also once placed more than 40 Major League Baseball bets on a single day.

Mickelson is known around the golfing circle to be a gambler. In fact, just a few days ago a video of him talking to a fellow LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau about playing nine holes for $1,000 circulated around the media.

Other famous athletes, such as Michael Jordan and Floyd Mayweather, have been known to use some of their sports earnings to bet on other sports. Where the ethical line gets very blurry, is when athletes try and bet on events they are also participating in, which Mickelson allegedly did with the Ryder Cup. Major League Baseball notoriously banned Pete Rose from the Hall of Fame and other baseball activities after he gambled on games as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

Who Is Billy Walters? Walters is one of America’s most famous gamblers of all time and placed his first bet at nine years old using money from a paper route, according to him. Walters continued to gamble throughout his early life, and joined "The Computer Group" in the 1980s which began using computer analytics to bet on sports.

Walters said he can make $50-$60 million through gambling "on a good year."

His book is expected to release on Aug. 22, 2023.

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