Really Famous Sports Bettors

They’re stars, they’re famous, and they have money. And what better thing for stars with money to do than to engage in a little sports betting. After all, if you’ve got a big bankroll then you stand to win a lot of money through sports wagering and also stand to have lots of fun watching the bets prevail in the process. Here’s a list of some really famous people who have either enjoyed sports gambling in the past or currently still do it.

Phil Ivey

Now Phil Ivey is already used to betting plenty on the game of poker at places like Bobby’s Room in the Bellagio where the blinds run a hefty $4,000/$8,000. As the winner of numerous live tournaments as well as an established cash game player, many consider Ivey to be the best poker player in the world. His winnings certainly back this claim up too! But when you’re someone like Phil Ivey who’s loaded with cash, you need to find something to do with it all. And for Ivey - he likes to put some of his money on the sporting events that he watches. If Phil attends a game or something, he often will lay down money on one side or the other. It’s even been rumored that Ivey has bet as much as $3 or $4 million on one game.

Charles Barkley

Dubbed “Sir Charles” and the Round “Mound of Rebounds”, Barkley was an exceptional rebounder and scorer during his days in the NBA. He was also named the Most Valuable Player in 1993 and continues to be a figure in the game as an analyst for TNT. Charles Barkley also has become a figure in the gambling world since his playing days ended as he frequents plenty of casinos and likes to bet on sporting contests as well. Unfortunately, his love of gambling led to plenty of negative publicity as the Wynn Las Vegas made vouchers he owed money on public and put Sir Charles in a bad light.

Ashton Kutcher

A lot of people never thought that Kutcher would hang around the whole acting scene very long due to his roles in the mindless movie “Dude Where’s my Car?” and the light-hearted comedy “That 70’s Show”. But Kutcher has proven all of these people wrong in breaking his type-cast mold and became a legitimate star in his own right who’s earned millions of dollars over the years. And he has put quite a few of these dollars towards sports betting as he admits to putting lots of money on different games. 

Pete Rose

Perhaps no sports bettor in history has incurred more heat for his passion than Pete Rose. The former Cincinnati Reds player was destined for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown as he finished up as the all-time leader in hits, games played, and at bats. He also had 3 World Series rings, a MVP award, and 3 batting titles to his credit. However, his obvious path to the Hall was blocked when he was banned from the sport after it was found out that he bet on baseball games as the manager and a player for the Reds. To this day, Rose is still ineligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame.

Michael Jordan

Our other basketball player on the list doesn’t really need much of an introduction as he is regarded by many to be the greatest basketball player ever to grace the hardwood. The winner of 6 NBA titles, 6 NBA Finals MVP awards, and 5 MVP awards (regular season) are quite a credit to “MJ”. Like Barkley, the greatest basketball player in history also has laid plenty of big sports wagers down in the past and has spent quite a few hours in the casino as well.