Phil Mickelson paid Vegas businessman nearly $2 million gambling debt – CBSSports.com

Phil Mickelson is used to paying off gambling debts, but Im not sure hes used to them being this exorbitant.

Mickelson, who was tied to Vegas businessman William Billy Walters because of a Dean Foods stock tip he hit on before giving back the nearly $1 million he earned off the transaction , apparently also owed Walters a separate $2 million. Walters is on trial right now for securities fraud.

Here is David Purdum of ESPN.

According to transcripts of Thursdays proceedings, the prosecution told the court that an independent business management firm, if called to testify, would say Mickelson was a client and that records show that in July 2012 Mickelson owed a debt to William T. Walters, the defendant, related to sports gambling. The prosecution added that on Sept. 19, 2012, Mickelson transferred $1,950,000 to Walters.

There was previous speculation that Mickelson hit on the insider trading stock tip with Dean Foods in July 2012 in part to pay back some of the $2 million in debt to Walters, and that is starting to look more plausible. Mickelson later gave the nearly $1 million from the Dean Foods transaction back to the SEC, though, and was not criminally charged.

Mickelson did not say anything when asked on Friday.

None of this is much of a surprise. Mickelson loves to gamble and knows other people who love to gamble. All of this did lead to one of the great tweets of the year, though.

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Phil Mickelson paid Vegas businessman nearly $2 million gambling debt - CBSSports.com