Pro golfer Phil Mickelson dropped a good five percent of his salary on gambling debts in 2012, it emerged in Manhattan federal court on Thursday. <\/p>\n
In Sept. 2012, Mickelson forked over close to $2 million for gambling debts to professional gambler Billy Walters, according to documents presented at Walters insider trading trial on Thursday. <\/p>\n
That year, the PGA winner earned $48 million, the same court document said. <\/p>\n
The sneak peak into Mickelsons gambling habit was presented to a Manhattan federal jury charged with deciding whether Walters illegally traded on stock tips he got from a director pal at butter company Dean Foods. Walters has plead not guilty. <\/p>\n
The feds claim that Walters passed some of those allegedly illegal tips to Mickelson known to fans as Lefty in July 2012, at a time when Mickelson owed him money for gambling. <\/p>\n
Mickelson earned close to one $1 million on the trades, documents showed. A few months later, the golfer handed Walters $1.95 million, documents showed. <\/p>\n
Mr. Mickelson owed similar debt to Mr. Walters in the past, prosecutor Brooke Cucinella told the jury. <\/p>\n
Mickelson agreed to return $1.1 million in a deal he cut with financial regulators. He was not charged with wrongdoing and has said he will not be called to testify at Walters trial. <\/p>\n
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Phil Mickelson once spent nearly $2M to pay off a gambling debt ... - New York Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pro golfer Phil Mickelson dropped a good five percent of his salary on gambling debts in 2012, it emerged in Manhattan federal court on Thursday. Continue reading