Phil Mickelson's Jaw-Dropping Secret Bets: The Shocking Billion-Dollar Revelations, Exposed in New Book!

Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk, which was excerpted by The Fire Pit Collective on Thursday, August 10, reported that, "He's a big-time gambler, and big-time gamblers make big bets. It's his money to spend how he wants."

According to the article, Walters met the pro golfer, who is currently 53 years old, at a tournament in 2006. It is claimed that two years later, Mickelson approached Walters with a proposition for a gambling partnership. The motive behind this partnership was Walters' desire to have access to betting avenues that he personally couldn't tap into or where larger bets could be placed. Allegedly, Mickelson fulfilled both these requirements, and thus, they formed a mutual gambling arrangement that spanned five years.

"We established what I believed to be a friendship. If you've ever had a golf companion, you understand what I mean," Walters wrote. "Right from the beginning, our agreement for betting, which we negotiated verbally, involved splitting everything equally. Phil provided half of the money, while I contributed the other half. This way, we both shared an equal amount of risk and reward."

Naturally, not every bet we placed resulted in a win — and both Walters and Mickelson experienced losses. The author of The Gambler even speculated that Mickelson may have lost nearly $100 million. "In total, he wagered over $1 billion in the past three decades," Walters claimed in the book, emphasizing that he himself has engaged in even more gambling.

Walters proceeded to reminisce about an incident in which Mickelson, who reportedly disclosed to Walters that he possessed "two offshore" bank accounts for handling gambling funds, caused Walters concern with an exceedingly substantial wager.

The passage claims that in September 2012, Phil Mickelson called the author from Medinah Country Club, expressing a high level of confidence in the American Ryder Cup team led by Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, and himself. He even went as far as asking the author to place a $400,000 bet on the U.S. team to win, leaving the author in disbelief.

"He went on to say, 'Have you completely lost your mind?' I reminded him of what happened to Pete Rose, the former Cincinnati Reds manager who was banned from baseball for placing bets on his own team. 'You're viewed as a contemporary Arnold Palmer,' I added, emphasizing the risk he would be taking. 'I want absolutely no involvement with this.' Even though Walters declined Mickelson's alleged offer, he confessed to having no knowledge of whether his former friend placed the bet elsewhere. (In the end, the U.S. team suffered a one-point loss to the European competitors in the tournament.)"

Mickelson, who has not responded to Walters' memoir allegations, previously faced criticism for his involvement with Walters. In a federal lawsuit filed in May 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Mickelson of making nearly $1 million through insider trading based on a tip from Walters. Mickelson's attorney stated that his client had reached an agreement with the SEC to return the full amount.

According to the lawyer, "Phil has not been charged with insider trading. Phil was unknowingly involved in alleged misconduct by others. Phil is innocent and not involved in any wrongdoing."

Walters is scheduled to discuss his perspective on the legal dispute in the book titled Gamblers.

According to Thursday's excerpt, Walters expressed disappointment in Phil Mickelson, a renowned figure globally and someone he once regarded as a friend. He accused Mickelson of withholding a truth that he had previously disclosed to the FBI, which could have potentially prevented Walters from going to prison. Walters emphasized that he never informed Mickelson about possessing insider information regarding stocks, and he believes Mickelson is aware of this fact. All Mickelson had to do was openly acknowledge it, but he chose not to.

Walters expressed, "The consequences resulted in the loss of my freedom, a staggering financial burden of tens of millions of dollars, and an ongoing heartache that I grapple with each day. During my incarceration, my daughter tragically took her own life – I remain convinced that I could have prevented it if I had been with her on the outside."

In May 2020, Walters was granted release from prison to complete the remaining portion of his five-year sentence at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following four years, former President Donald Trump commuted Walters' sentence in 2021.