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What’s the most you’ve won on a bet? 15 bucks? Maybe 100? Imagine winning over $1 million on a single bet! That’s what happened to undefeated pro-boxer, Floyd “Money” Mayweather when won $1.1 million betting on a college football game between Oregon and Arizona in 2012. Apparently, the boxing champion has quite a talent for sports betting and frequently tweets pictures of himself winning well over $100,000. They don’t call him “Money” for nothing!
Floyd Mayweather isn’t the only one cashing in big bucks on bets. Pro-golfer Tiger Woods often wins Blackjack at $25,000 per hand with a $1 million limit. The 11 time PGA Player of the Year also uses his luck in gambling toward a good cause. In 2013, he hosted a charity poker event called “Tiger’s Poker Night” at the Mandalay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Celebrities like Kid Rock, Mekhi Phifer, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Kid Rock, Mark Cuban, and Doyle Brunson all showed up for the charity tournament which had a $10,000 buy-in.
Tiger Woods tests his luck with professional poker player, Phil Ivey, at the Tiger’s Poker Night charity event.
Not all sports stars know how to play their cards right. Former NBA player, Charles Barkley has lost quite a lot of money over the years. When word got out that Barkley has accumulated a $10 million debt from his gambling habits, he told the press:
“Do I have a gambling problem? Yeah, I do have a gambling problem but I don’t consider it a problem because I can afford to gamble. It’s just a stupid habit that I’ve got to get under control, because it’s just not a good thing to be broke after all of these years. I gamble too much, I gamble for too much money, and it’s something I have to address. I am addressing it. That would be the best way to explain it. I’m not going to quit gambling because it’s my life and it’s my money.”
“I’m down by $10 million?! Wait, Whaat?”
Of course, Charles Barkley isn’t the only one with an unlucky streak. Pro-golfer John Daly managed to lose $1.65 million in just five hours while playing slot machines with a $5,000 max bet. In fact, he mentioned in his autobiography that he lost an estimated $50-$60 million from playing casino games.
“Aaand there goes $60 mil!”
For most of us, losing that kind of money seems completely insane. Yet with their exorbitant salaries, what else could pro athletes possibly do with all that money? Of course, these guys are also competitive and adrenaline junkies by nature. The excitment of risking enormous sums of money fits right in with their thrill-seeking personalities.
Despite the over the top gambling habits of sports stars, one thing remains: gambling is big business among pro athletes. With so much money to spare, it’s really no wonder that these adrenaline junkies need another way to get their competitive fix.
Want more unbelievable gambling wins and losses from pro-athletes? Read Sports Stars’ Crazy Gambling Stories
