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For the majority of people involved in the industry, sports betting is nothing more than a fun hobby. However, the best sports bettors in the world have transformed the pastime into a hugely profitable business.
From legendary names such as Billy Walters to controversial modern-day gamblers like Ben ‘Parly’ Patz, here are the most famous sports bettors on the planet.
Billy Walters
Billy Walters is arguably the most popular American sports bettor in history. Born in 1946, the Kentucky native started gambling when he was just nine years old, using the money he earned from his paper route to bet on the 1955 World Series between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers.
Rumored to have enjoyed a 30-year winning streak, Walters claimed he could make between $50 and $60 million on a good year. His most famous bet saw him win $3.5 million on Super Bowl XLIV by backing the New Orleans Saints to defeat the Indianapolis Colts.
Tony Bloom
Although Tony Bloom likes to keep a low profile, he is known for being one of the best sports bettors in the world. After studying mathematics at the University of Manchester, the Englishman transferred his skills to gambling and wasted no time in getting the better of bookmakers.
Nicknamed ‘The Lizard’ due to his cold-blooded approach to betting, Bloom is also a keen poker player and entrepreneur. Nowadays, the 53-year-old is the owner and chairman of English Premier League soccer club Brighton & Hove Albion.
Haralabos ‘Bob’ Voulgaris
Haralabos ‘Bob’ Voulgaris is a Greek-Canadian professional gambler who is best known for being a prolific NBA bettor. In fact, Voulgaris was hired by the Dallas Mavericks in 2018 to act as the team’s Director of Quantitative Research and Development.
After leaving his role at the Mavericks, Voulgaris acquired Spanish soccer club CD Castellon in July 2022. Having won giants sums of money from both sports betting and poker, the 47-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best sports bettors of all time.
James Holzhauer
Many people will know James Holzhauer as the man who set a 32-game winning streak as champion on the quiz show Jeopardy! The Illinois native may be the third-highest-earning American game show contestant in history, but he is also a successful sports bettor.
After playing card games and poker at university, Holzhauer built predictive models for the NFL, baseball and college basketball. The 38-year-old also focuses heavily on in-game betting, using unique strategies and intelligent tactics to outsmart the bookies.
Ben ‘Parlay’ Patz
No prizes for guessing where Ben ‘Parlay’ Patz picked up his nickname from! Born in 1996, Patz developed a moneyline parlay strategy that helped him win more than $1.1 million in the space of three weeks, although his betting career swiftly headed south.
In April 2022, Patz turned himself into the authorities after being accused of making threats towards athletes and their families. Sure, the Florida native won a life-changing amount of money via gambling, but he is now regarded as one of the most infamous sports bettors out there.
