The Sports Betting Hall Of Fame – The Greatest Sports Bettors Of All Time
Millions of people around the world place bets on sports routinely, but only the select few can make it to the top and earn a coveted spot in the SBL Sports Betting Hall of Fame. The greatest sports bettors each year will be chronicled right here with biographies for each so that readers can learn what it takes and can aspire to become fellow inductees one day.
This Hall of Fame will continue to induct new members in the realm of legal sports betting each year so keep checking back to see who makes the final cut. Gambling Halls of Fame may appear elsewhere, but Sports Betting Legal presents the most elite collection of bettors on planet Earth. Will you be next?
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The Sports Betting Hall Of Fame Members
Drake
- Real Name: Aubrey Drake Graham
- Alias: Champagne Papi, Drizzy, Heartbreak Drake
- Profession: Musician
Biography: Top-selling musician Drake first became infamous in the realm of professional and college sports by wearing the jersey of the team he was rooting for to win the championship. This fed into the urban legend of the “Drake Curse” because of how often the team he was sporting lost the game.
The topic of Drake betting on the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, or other significant sports championships has been popping up more frequently due to the large amounts of cryptocurrency he has been wagering from his home country of Canada.
Drake has earned a spot in our Sports Betting Hall of Fame and we anticipate that his high-profile wagering will continue.
Drake's Sports Betting History
- Has a pending NBA futures bet on the Golden State Warriors to win the Western Conference Bracket in 2022. Drake will earn $800,000 on his initial wager of $159,000 betting on the NBA Playoffs.
- Won a 3-leg parlay, correctly choosing the winner of two NBA Playoff games and one NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game (all Game 7s). Drake won $2.2 million CAD on a wager just over $300,000.
- Lost $427,000 betting on Justin Gaethje to defeat Charles Oliveira at UFC 274.
- Drake won $262,000 betting on the NFL Draft and whether Drake London would be the first wide receiver selected in 2022.
- Lost a $275,000 UFC betting when Jorge Osvidal lost to Colby Covington in March of 2022.
- Drake spent nearly $2 million CAD betting on the Super Bowl in 2022 spread across three different Los Angeles Rams-based wagers. Drizzy won two out of the three Super Bowl LVI bets, and would have easily banked all three if Odell Beckham, Jr. had played another series or two before suffering an injury.
Mattress Mack
- Real Name: Jim McIngvale
- Profession: Owner Of Gallery Furniture Stores
Biography: Mattress Mack bets are what dreams are made of, literally, as his winning wagers deliver free beds to customers who participate in the Gallery Furniture promotions that surround championship games for various college and pro sports.
Once the promotional period is over, a wager on the big game is made using the funds collected. If the Mattress Mack Super Bowl bet wins, his customers get a refund for their bed and McIngvale gets to keep the profits.
If the Mattress Mack bet loses, his patrons have merely paid for their bed, while McIngvale will be out some serious coin. Mack’s chain of stores are located in the Houston, Texas, area, and his past wagers have involved the Astros and Texans.
Mattress Mack Betting History
- World Series Betting - Mack placed a bet of $10 million on the Astros to win the World Series, which will clear $75 million if successful (winner!)
- Kentucky Derby betting - Mack laid over $1 Million on Epicenter to win (loser)
- Mattress Mack Astros Bet Of $2 Million On The 2021 World Series (loser)
- $4.5 Million Bet On The Cincinnati Bengals To Win Super Bowl LVI (loser)
- $1 Million Bet On The San Francisco 49ers To Win Super Bowl LIV (loser)
Phil Mickelson
- Nicknames: Lefty, Phil the Thrill, Figjam
- Profession: Professional Golfer
Biography: Phil Mickelson is a golfing legend who has won 64 pro events, including six major championships. He is still active on the tour today and made waves when joining the controversial LIV golf tour in 2022. When Phil is not going head-to-head with all-time greats like Tiger Woods, he likes to bet on sports, and he has a massive bankroll to risk on pro and college games and matches for all popular leagues.
Mickelson is said to have bet over a billion dollars on sports, amassing losses of around $100 million during his career. Lefty is supposedly retired from sports betting, but Phil the Thrill could get back into the game once he's retired from professional golf.
Phil Mickelson Betting History
- Bet Over $1 Billion On Sports*
- Has Lost Over $100 Million Betting On Sports*
- Tried To Place A $400,000 Bet On Team USA At The Ryder Cup In 2012*
*All alleged by Billy Walters in his 2023 book "Gambler: Secrets from a Life of Risk."
Billy Walters
- Nicknames: Wolfman, The Greatest Sports Bettor Of All Time
- Profession: Professional Sports Bettor
Biography: Bill Walters began gambling at the age of 9. After losing a wager placed on the 1955 World Series, he became addicted to gambling and was a down-and-out loser by the time he was 30. Walters eventually developed a solid sports betting strategy that delivered him a winning streak that lasted for thirty years. Walters is also a championship-level blackjack and poker player.
Today, Walters is a philanthropist and spends his time golfing. He claims to have cleared between $50 and $60 million in sports betting profits on good years.
Billy Walters Betting History
- Routinely Placed $2 Million In NFL Bets On Any Given Sunday
- Bet On Super Bowl XLIV And Won $3.5 Million
- Won $400,000 On A Single Hole Of Golf
Anonymous 2022 Michigan Wolverines CFP Bettor
- Real Name: Unknown
- Profession: Unknown
Biography: Just prior to the onset of the 2021-22 NCAA College Football season, $2,500 was laid on a CFP prop bet at BetMGM that merely required the Michigan Wolverines to become one of the final four teams included in the College Football Playoffs.
Michigan defied the CFP odds and won the Big Ten Conference Championship and a spot in the final four, delivering a payout of $50,000 to this anonymous college football bettor that forever shall hold a place of honor in the SBL Sports Betting Hall of Fame.
This all-time great NCAAF wager proves just how much gamblers can win by betting on CFP odds before the season begins as the moneylines are often much higher.
Anonymous 2022 Houston Astros World Series Bettor
- Real Name: Unknown
- Profession: Unknown
Biography: Before the 2022 Major League Baseball regular season began, an anonymous better placed a $50 wager at BetMGM on the Houston Astros to not only win the World Series but also predicted the team that they would defeat - the Philadelphia Phillies.
Because this Hall of Fame bettor placed a wager so early and also correctly predicted the Astros' World Series opponent, they were able to convert $50 into a $125,050 payout!
