UFC president Dana White appeared recently on ESPN Sports Betting’s Daily Wager and discussed the role gambling plays in the growth of the MMA, a bet that still bothers him to this day, and his happiest betting memory.

I’d say it’s about time,” said White. I like it. It’s obviously a thing people love to do. It makes whatever you’re watching a lot more fun, a lot more interesting, so I’ve always been for it. But I’m from Vegas.”

I always [gamble]. On every sport that I’m interested in. On every game on Saturday, If I want to know what the line is, if it’s college or pros, I always look at the line on fights.

I play table games too much. I’m a degenerate if you’re not getting it. I’m a degenerate, yes. I love to gamble.”

However, it’s little known he once lost $1 million on a boxing match.

Oh my god,” said White. “What was the kid’s name? Jermain Taylor. And who did he fight? I know this for the ass-whooping I took. He fought the tall, lanky, white kid from Ohio, Kelly Pavlik. I bet $1 million on Taylor and he got destroyed. It was the first time I ever bet $1 million dollars because I was so confident Taylor was going to win that fight.”

White is of course prohibited from gambling on MMA, but tales of White at the tables are legendary. And his tipping changes lives. In 2006 White saw his credit limit at The Palms cut by 50%, not for losing too much, but for winning.

“I asked DW what happened and he said it was because he kicked their asses by winning BIG a few times within a short period of time so they chopped his limit (he’s aggressive in his bets) in half,’ explained UGer CindyO. “This isn’t the first casino that has done this to him and I doubt it’ll be the last.”

h/t Adam Martin for BJPenn.com