Michael Phelps Gambling Addiction? Friends Reportedly Fear It's All He Thinks About

Legendary gold medalist Michael Phelps allegedly has a problem on his hands that he potentially cannot outswim, as friends fear that he may indeed be addicted to gambling.

Reportedly involved in weekly card games with a $25,000 minimum buy-in, Phelps had allegedly first broke into poker by playing online for $1-$2, according to Daily Mail. Turns out, he also lives with pro-poker player Jeff Gross.

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One of the star's other pals had stated the following regarding the supposedly high stakes issue, according to the National Inquirer:

"All Michael thinks about is gambling," said a friend.

The source also claimed that Phelps has shelled out "hundreds of thousands of dollars on poker already and now that he's retired from competitive swimming, everyone is worried he'll be betting millions more." 

In an interview with Card Player in 2008, the swimming sensation commented on his, then newfound, joy for expensive card games.

"I love to play, it's fun, it's exciting. It was more something so that I could have time to myself," Phelps stated. "I could relax, I could be myself, and I could have fun.  It's a place where I can be me."

"I've met some of my best friends at a poker table. Some of the kids I'm always with, who I talk to every day," he also added to the website.

The 22 medal winner is said to be worth an estimated $45 million. However, experts have predicted that he could amass triple that respective fortune through endorsement deals. Hopefully he will invest it wisely.