Sports

National Enquirer: Phelps Loses Small Fortune Playing Poker

The tabloid reports that friends of the Rodgers Forge Olympian are concerned Phelps is on a destructive path.

Michael Phelps, the most , may have a gambling probem.

According to The National Enquirer, which is known to occasionally get a story right, the Rodgers Forge native is obsessed with poker and has already lost a small fortune from his estimated $45 million net worth.

Friends of the swimmer, the tabloid reports, are concerned about Phelps' habits.

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"All Michael thinks about is gam­bling," a poker-playing pal told the tabloid. "When he’s home in Maryland, Michael plays in a weekly card game where the buy-in is $25,000. Michael has wagered hundreds of thousands of dollars on poker already, and now that he’s retired from competitive swimming, every­one’s worried he’ll be betting mil­lions more."

Phelps' mother, , is worried her son might "self-destruct" without the guidance of swim coach Bob Bowman, the Enquirer story reads.

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A call seeking comment from Deborah Phelps was not returned.

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