Renowned sports bettor Billy Walters says Phil Mickelson has wagered more than $1 billion over the past 30-plus years and also wanted to place a huge bet of $400,000 on his own 2012 Ryder Cup team while playing for the USA.
Mickelson issued a statement to the media Thursday denying he bet on his own Ryder Cup team. "While it is well known that I always enjoy a friendly wager on the course, I would never undermine the integrity of the game," the left-hander said.
We don't know if there are any more gambling allegations made by Walters about Mickelson. The claims were part of excerpts released from Walters' new book, "Gambler: Secrets from a Life of Risk."
Walters, from Las Vegas, said he ended his betting partnership with Mickelson in 2014. It was two years later that Walters was indicted for insider trading - stock tips he illegally passed on to Mickelson. Walters was sentenced to five years in prison after he was convicted. Mickelson wasn't charged but had to pay back $1 million that he made on the stock deal. Mickelson never testified in the case, but Walters felt he would have avoided jail time if the famous golfer took the stand. Walters said he never told Mickelson he had inside trading information on the Dean Foods stock.
Walters said, "The outcome cost me my freedon, tens of millions of dollars and a heartbreak I still stuggle with daily." Walters said his daughter committed suicide while he was in jail. "I still believe I could have saved her if I'd been on the outside."
The new book will be on sale starting August 22.