New Phil Mickelson biography reveals $1,000,000,000 sports betting history including an attempted $400k Ryder Cup wager
Phil Mickelson's new biography states that he has spent $1 billion betting on football, basketball, and baseball and even tried to place a $400,000 wager on the US team at the 2012 Ryder Cup. The new information about Mickelson comes in light of an upcoming book by professional gambler Billy Walters.
The book "Gambler: Secrets from a Life of Risk" sheds light on Phil Mickelson's sports gambling and his relationship with Billy Walters.
Walters has cited betting records among other reliable sources, stating Mickelson has bet over $1 billion in the past three decades.
Of that, he placed 858 bets of $220,000 and 1,115 bets of $110,000 and also dealt with a loss of $100 million.
Speaking about the volume of gambling, Walters, considered to be the most successful American bettor, said:
"The only other person I know who surpassed that kind of volume is me."
According to a new memoir by Billy Walters, Phil Mickelson wagered $1 billion on sports in the last three decades.
The book says Mickelson:
• Has lost nearly $100 million gambling
• Averaged 9 bets per day in 2011
• Made 43 MLB bets in one day
• Tried to bet on a Ryder Cup… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/RlXTNIwGxu
According to excerpts from the book, Mickelson tried to place a legal bet through Walters on the US team to win the 2012 Ryder Cup at the Medinah Country Club. Walters, knowing better, reprimanded Mickelson.
"Have you lost your %&*$ing mind? Don't you remember what happened to Pete Rose? You're seen as the modern-day Arnold Palmer. You'd risk all that for this? I want no part of it."
Phil Mickelson's long history with sports gambling that always seemed to land him in hot water
The six-time major winner has a long history with sports gambling, which has often been public. In 2015, court documents showed that Mickelson had transferred nearly $3 million to an intermediary of an 'illegal gambling operation'.
Speaking about Mickelson's gambling habits, Walters said:
"Phil liked to gamble as much as anyone I've ever met. In all the decades I've worked with partners and beards, Phil had accounts as large as anyone I'd seen. You don't get those accounts without betting millions of dollars."
In 2021, it was revealed that Mickelson also had ties with an alleged mob bookie in the 2007 trials. Mickelson has changed his gambling habits over the years and hardly indulges any more.
"Haven't gambled in years. Almost a billionaire now. Thanks for asking."
Admitting that his gambling had become 'reckless' and 'embarrassing', Phil Mickelson left it behind, earning almost $96 million on the PGA Tour. He also went on to sign a $200 million contract with the LIV Golf Series.