Phil Mickelson Allegedly Wagered Over $1 Billion

Phil Mickelson bet more than $1 billion on football, basketball, and baseball over the past three decades and even allegedly attempted to place a $400,000 wager on Team USA in the 2012 Ryder Cup in which he participated, according to an upcoming book by renowned professional gambler Billy Walters.

Excerpts of the book "Gambler: Secrets from a Life of Risk" were first reported Thursday by Fire Pit Collective and provide the most detailed look yet at Mickelson's sports gambling and his relationship with Walters, a Las Vegas businessman who is widely considered to be the most successful American bettor ever.

Citing betting records and "two very reliable sources," Walters writes that from 2010 to 2014, Mickelson made 858 bets of $220,000 and 1,115 bets of $110,000. He estimates Mickelson endured losses of approximately $100 million while betting more than $1 billion over the past three decades.

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"The only other person I know who surpassed that kind of volume is me," Walters writes.

According to the book excerpts, in September 2012, Mickelson called Walters from Medinah Country Club during the 39th Ryder Cup and asked Walters to place a $400,000 wager for him on the U.S. team to win.

Walters responded by scolding 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."

Walters added that he didn't know whether Mickelson placed the bet elsewhere. The Americans lost the Ryder Cup to the Europeans by one point.

According to the book excerpts, Mickelson met Walters at the 2006 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The two formed a betting partnership in 2008, which gave Walters access to offshore sportsbook accounts that Mickelson used to place big wagers.

In April 2017, Walters was convicted on charges of conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud and was sentenced to five years in federal prison. His sentence was eventually commuted by then-President Donald Trump.