It’s again time to update our Top 10 Celebrities Who Bet on Sports list![sc:CELEB250 ] We figured it’s been a few years and a few shocking stories have broken with some very marquee name celebs. So sit back, relax, grab a nice cup of tea, a beer, or perhaps even a glass of chardonnay and enjoy! Now if you’d like to check out our rundown, make sure to head to the link here and see which other big names have a wild side.
Ten Famous People Who Use a Sportsbook to Bet on Professional Sports
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Do we like him? Not really. Does he make smart bets? Absolutely. To his credit he usually bets on winners, and he always bets on himself. Floyd Mayweather Jr has made a lot of extra money on top of his fight winnings, contracts, and endorsements over the past few years. His lifestyle apparel brand is even called the The Money Team. Fitting isn’t it? Yes, that was a pun.
Two years ago, Mayweather bet and lost $13 million dollars on the Denver Broncos to take out the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. More recently though, he had a nice pay day of $830,000 for betting on the NBA. We know what you’re thinking too. “Wow, $830k doesn’t patch the hole that $13 million left.” Well you’re probably right. That summer though he made over $200 million dollars for his fight with Manny Pacquiao though. That probably soothed the wound a little bit.
2. Pete Rose
The truth was finally revealed in 2015. Pete Rose bet on baseball! ESPN’s Outside The Lines found proof that Rose bet on the game as a player. Admittedly, he did come clean about betting on the game as a manager in 2004. His long time defense of constantly saying he never bet on the game though, finally came out to be one big lie. Does it tarnish what he did for the game? Not a chance. Rose was and is still one of the best players in Major League Baseball history. Did he gamble on the game though? It sure looks that way.
3. Janet Gretzky
At one point she was the First Lady of Hockey in North America. She’s a small part actress, a model, and the wife of the Great One – Wayne Gretzky. Now we need to choose our words carefully here. Janet never spent any time in jail, but was in the discussion for Operation Slapshot. A gambling ring that included herself along with a couple dozen hockey players betting on sports. Not hockey mind you, but none the less an illegal sports gambling ring is an illegal sports gambling ring. Former player turned coach Rick Tocchet took the worst of it. He was the one appointed as the top dog of the whole operation and pleaded guilty to conspiracy and illegal promoting charges.
4. Charles Barkley
The NBA on TNT anchor and former NBA player claims he’s lost between $10 and $30 million over the years at the casino in Las Vegas. Now we when it comes to the sportsbooks, Charles is no stranger either. Sir Charles put down $550,000 on the New England Patriots defeating the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Good call Charles! The Patriots won the game 20-17.
5. Michael Jordan
Among the largest conspiracy theories in all of sports comes Michael Jordan retiring early from basketball to go play baseball. One of the biggest rumors in professional sports is that he left to avoid a suspension or to keep that suspension on the down-low. San Diego businessman Richard Esquinas revealed in his book that MJ had paid him $900,000 in golf-related wagering. Jordan was constantly spotted in casinos. He even bet his Olympic teammates one year on who’s bag would come down the airport carousel first. Little did his teammates know that MJ had fixed the wager.
The point is, quite a few stories came out of the wood work about Jordan throughout his tenure.
The tipping point though came after his 1992 championship. Jordan was called to testify about a $57,000 cheque with his signature on it. Originally, His Airness said that it was a business loan. Under oath though, he confessed that it was to pay off a gambling debt. Then following his 1993 championship, the NBA began to snoop around. They started to investigate into Jordan’s gambling ways, and he shockingly “retired” just four months later. He’d return again to the game after a year in minor league baseball. He’d then go on to win three more, back-to-back-to-back championships again.
6. Charlie Sheen
There’s a lot on Charlie Sheen’s plate right now. One of many things the actor has going for him is that that plate is likely made of sheer gold. Sheen’s ex-wife Denise Richards claimed in 2006, that Charlie at one point was spending upwards of $200,000 per week on sports gambling and online casinos. Was it a problem? Absolutely. Was it remedied? Absolutely. By 2010, Sheen was the highest paid actor on television picking up a cool $1.8 million per episode in the cast of Two and a Half Men.
7. 50 Cent
First off, we’re going to do our best to not talk about his first pitch at that Mets game. So let’s talk about something else. Ahh, perhaps his sportsbook gambling history. 50 initially won $500,000 on his New York Giants defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. He then decided to let it ride the next time his Giants were in the big game. Once again, they took on the Pats in Super Bowl XLVI and won again by a score of 21-17. He’d bet one million dollars on that game. Then he decided to put down $1.6 million on Floyd Mayweather Jr taking out Manny Pacquiao. He’d win that bet too. We’re still not sure how or why he declared bankruptcy. Somebody needs to take an accounting course or two though.
8. Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson had a fantastic 2001. He and a group of bettors put down $20,000 on the 28-1 Baltimore Ravens to win the Super Bowl. He then bet on the Arizona Diamondbacks at 38-1 to win the World Series. Needless to say, with the Ravens huge win over the New York Giants and the Yankees taking out the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic – Lefty had himself an excellent year.
9. Ashton Kutcher
He may have played the role of the idiot on That 70’s Show, but Kutcher is no fool. He was the face of a sports betting syndicate in Las Vegas for around four weeks. In an interview with Esquire Magazine, the actor revealed that in the early 2000’s, he was clearing around $750,000 through four weeks of college football betting. He played the part for roughly half of an NCAA season before eventually being shut down. Everyone thought he was just a pretty face until he walked out with around $800,000.
10. Cousin Sal
Cousin Sal may have placed a bet or two in his time but we couldn’t track it down. What we do know, is he has made a lot of people a lot of money. The pick em expert turned TV star can be found week in and week out on Twitter as @TheCousinSal and on Jimmy Kimmel with his weekly picks. Why is he called Cousin Sal? Well he is Jimmy Kimmel’s cousin in real life. Hence his roles on Jimmy’s late night talk show and The Man Show with Kimmel before that.
Sal Iacono (his real name) can also be heard regularly on the Bill Simmons Podcast, and can be read on a regular basis Grantland.com as a sports columnist.
Alright you fired up now? It’s time to be like your favorite celebs – Create your betting account now!
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