The Curious Case of Gambling and Sir Charles Barkley

The self-admitted gambler has gotten a handle on his addiction.

Charles Barkley is one of the greatest power forwards in the history of the NBA. Barkley attended Auburn University in Alabama and was drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984. Entering the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, Barkley had in his career 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists. Currently a sports analyst for TNT, Barkley finally gets paid to voice his opinion.

• Wynn Las Vegas filed a lawsuit forcing Barkley to pay USD 400,000
• During the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona he played poker nightly with Jordan
• Barkley won USD 700,000 in one weekend betting on Super Bowl XLI

Barkley had a reputation for his “bad boy” behavior on and off the court often getting into fights and even once spitting on a girl in his attempt to get back at a heckler. Being the franchise player for Philadelphia, Barkley was immensely popular in the league and at one time was considered the 2nd best player behind Michael Jordan. Although Barkley knows U.S gambling laws, he had lost between USD 10 and 30 million.

Barkley’s stance on dealing with his problem

Barkley has admitted to never betting on basketball, but only NFL Football and in Casinos. Sir Charles has been very open about his gambling problems. “Do I have a gambling problem? Yeah, I do have a gambling problem but I don’t consider it a problem because I can afford to gamble. It’s just a stupid habit that I’ve got to get under control, because it’s just not a good thing to be broke after all of these years.”

Barkley also went on to say that he simply gambles too often for too much money and that he is trying to address it. Normally taking trips to Las Vegas, Barkley either makes a million or loses a million. “I think the difficult thing, No. 1, I’ve got to realize no matter how much I win it ain’t a lot…it’s only a lot when I lose. And you always lose. I think it’s fun, I think it’s exciting. I’m gonna continue to do it but I have to get to” not “try to break the casino.”


Also a fan a cards, Barkley was very active during the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona where he played poker almost nightly with Jordan and Magic Johnson. Barkley took a two-year break from gambling, Charles tone is a bit different. “You know, it’s like anything, if you do it in moderation it’s alright and now with my gambling, ‘cause I love it. I love the action, I love the juice. But I just learned to do it in moderation.” Sir Charles has learned to stop when he’s down USD 200,000 and still have a good time.

Barkley told ESPN in 2002, that he won USD 700,000 in one weekend betting on the Indianapolis Colts to beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI and playing blackjack. On a separate occasion, Sir Charles won a USD 100,000 bet that the New England Patriots would beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl and won. Upon winning he claimed “he beat God”, but then went on to say how many more time God took money from him. Maybe Barkley should try online sportsbooks in the U.S. that limit amounts.

Barkley’s adventures in Mandalay Bay and Wynn Las Vegas

Sir Charles was once at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas where he places a bet on New England who were 14-point underdogs. Wagering USD 550,000 on the Patriots and an additional USD 50,000 on the money line. Although Barkley won, there was a mistake by the casino in allowing him a credit line that large. After much arguing, the Mandalay Bay gave Barkley USD 800,000.

In 2008, Wynn Las Vegas filed a lawsuit in district court against Sir Charles in an effort to force him to pay the USD 400,000 in gambling debt that part of the credit line extended to him the year before. The Casino conglomerate also convinced Clark County District attorney to begin a criminal investigation into Barkley’s use of bad checks. It’s often a practice to investigate these two forms of illicit activity simultaneously.


Making U.S. gambling news, the four-page lawsuit detailed their extension to Barkley four USD 100,000 markers on two separate dates. The lawsuit said “By taking USD 400,000 in credit and refusing to pay the amount despite repeated attempts, Barkley has wrongfully exercised dominion and control over Wynn’s property.” Wynn also claimed in court that they attempted to contact Barkley several times at his TNT workplace, but it proved unsuccessful.

Barkley responded to the civil complaint by taking blame for letting time lapse on the repayment of the debt and paid the casino. Soon after, Barkley expressed his feelings on the pregame show on TNT. “ I’ve got to stop gambling…I am not going to gamble anymore. For right now, the next year or two, I’m not going to gamble….just because I can afford to lose money doesn’t mean I should do it.”