Billy Walters is a professional sports bettor and entrepreneur. He started betting on sports as a child and was eventually able to turn it into a lucrative career. Walters has had a rollercoaster of a life with both highs and lows. But through it all, he’s become one of the most famous names in the sports betting industry. His estimated net worth in 2023 is $200 million.
Billy Walters Net Worth
As of 2023, Walters has a net worth of $200 million. That number has consistently increased year after year because of his success as a sports bettor and his other business interests. In roughly four decades of betting on sports professionally, Walters reports just one losing season, helping him amass a net worth of $200 million.
When Walters first became a professional sports bettor, he moved to Las Vegas. However, with sports betting now being legal in dozens of states, people all over the country can do it. In fact, there are several online American sportsbooks that operate in a multitude of states and offer great features and bonuses for anyone who wants to bet money on a sporting event.
Billy Walters Bio
Throughout Billy Walters’ life, he has done everything from delivering papers and mowing lawns to making millions as a gambler and sports bettor. He has also become a business owner and a philanthropist.
Along the way, Walters has also run into trouble with the law and spent time in jail. Nevertheless, he remains one of the most successful and influential sports bettors of all time.
Real Name | William T. Walters |
Nickname | Wolfman |
Date of Birth | 15 July, 1946 |
Birthplace | Munfordville, Kentucky |
Age as of 2023 | 77 |
Nationality | American |
Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
Profession | Sports bettor and business owner |
Net Worth 2023 | $200 million |
Early Life
Billy Walters grew up in the rural Kentucky town of Munfordville, which at the time was home to just over 1,000 people. Sadly, he grew up without his father, who passed away when Walters was just 18 months old.
Soon after his father passed away, Walters’ mom left his grandmother to raise him and his two sisters. His grandmother’s house had no indoor plumbing or running water, meaning Walters came from the most humble of beginnings.
Naturally, his grandmother became the most influential figure in Walters’ life. When Walters was seven, his grandmother helped him to secure a $40 bank loan that he used to buy a power lawn mower so he could start his own lawn-mowing business.
Two years later, his grandmother helped Walters get a $90 loan that was used to get started on a paper route, giving him two sources of income from two small businesses before the age of 10.
After his grandmother died at age 13, Walters moved to Louisville, which is roughly 75 miles north of Munfordville, to live with his mom. He paid $10 a week to rent a room in his mother’s basement during his high school years.
To pay the rent and other expenses, Walters worked nights at a gas station and mornings at a bakery while in high school. Before he graduated from high school, Walters got married and welcomed a child with his first wife. However, that marriage did not last long beyond high school.
Upon graduating high school, Walters soon found work as a used-car salesman in Louisville. He supposedly worked upwards of 80 hours per week during this time and sold an average of 32 cars per month, showing an incredible work ethic.
His impressive work ethic and sales record helped Walters land a job as a sales manager at a competing car dealership within two years. After more than 15 years of working as a car salesman or sales manager in Louisville, Walters moved to Las Vegas in 1981 to pursue a new career as a full-time sports bettor.
Billy Walters Assets
In addition to his impressive net worth of roughly $200 million, Walters has several other assets. He owns more than half a dozen car dealerships, a rental car franchise, and a golf course in Las Vegas. Walters also owns several commercial real estate properties.
Personal Life
While his first marriage didn’t work out, Walters has been happily married to his longtime wife Susan since 1977. The couple raised three kids together. In fact, in his book Gambler, he says that he never would have been able to accomplish all that he has in life if he wasn’t married to Susan.
Billy Walters Career
Billy Walters’ career as a sports bettor technically began when he was just nine years old. With his grandmother’s help, Walters took some of the money he made from his paper route to place a bet on the Yankees to beat the Dodgers in the 1955 World Series.
Alas, the Dodgers won the series, handing Walters the first loss of his betting career. However, things would turn around for him, particularly after moving to Las Vegas in 1981.
After moving to Las Vegas, Walters joined a firm called the Computer Group, which analyzed sports and predicted outcomes. Using what he learned during his time with the Computer Group, Walters became one of the most successful sports bettors ever, having just one losing year in more than three decades of betting.
By 1987, Walters had given up all other forms of gambling other than sports betting. In 1988, Walters and his wife ventured into residential and commercial real estate investing, starting a company called the Walters Group. The company became a great success, eventually growing to employ more than 2,000 people.
Amidst all of his success in both betting and real estate, Walters and his wife have spent decades giving back. The pair were named Las Vegas Philanthropists of the Year in 1997 and have continued to donate money to a variety of charities over the years. By doing so, Walters has put his good fortune and incredible net worth to good use.
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