Barkley/Daly-Gambling Losses in 8-figures
 

Barkley: 'I do have a gambling problem'

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) - Charles Barkley estimated that he's lost about $10 million in gambling over the years in an interview on Wednesday.

"My agent has really worked with me to try to get it where I can go and gamble and have fun," Barkley told ESPN. "That's easier said than done. 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."
Barkley, who is an NBA television analyst, later had a different assessment of his gambling habits.

"It's not a problem," Barkley said on TNT during halftime of the Detroit-Milwaukee game. "If you're a drug addict or an alcoholic, those are problems. I gamble for too much money. As long as I can continue to do it I don't think it's a problem. Do I think it's a bad habit? Yes, I think it's a bad habit. Am I going to continue to do it? Yes, I'm going to continue to do it."

He also added that he never bet on the NBA, and he only bet in casinos.

Barkley said in the ESPN interview he's not concerned about his habit because he has enough money to cover his losses, though he did say he hoped to wager less money.

"When I gamble I should be playing $1,000 a hand instead of $20,000 a hand, because if I played for $1,000 a hand I probably could lose $50,000 to $100,000 a hand instead of millions of dollars," Barkley said. "And I've got to reach a happy medium because I've told all of the people in my life that first and foremost it's my money."

Barkley said the thrill of competition has a lot to do with his urge to wager. "I like to gamble and I'm not going to quit," he said. "I've just got to get it under control."

Barkley, elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame last month, averaged 22.1 points and nearly 12 rebounds in a 16-year career that included stops in Philadelphia, Phoenix and Houston. He was the league's MVP in 1993, and he won gold at the '92 Barcelona Olympics as part of the original U.S. Dream Team.

Recently, golfer John Daly said in his upcoming autobiography that he has lost between $50 million and $60 million during 12 years of heavy gambling, and that it has become a problem that could "flat-out ruin me" if he doesn't bring it under control.

Barkley also said there was no way he believed Daly's loss figures based on what he(Daly) earned in his career.

I wish I had that kind of money:eek:

Ante up, bitch. :)

Career Earnings are at $8,776,552..How much did he pull in through corporate sponsors and apperances?

I guess wonder what Barkley's net worth is.

Wow, a catfight is starting between two gamblers who think they have a problem but can cure it by betting less in a casino.

We need to have an odd couple style reality show with these two clowns to see what would happen.

so did an esteemed member of this board.

But is he willing to bet on it?

As long as you're betting the opposite of whatever side Daly bets on, why not? Your odds are apparently good.

Man, sounds like Barkley is in denial about the extent of his problem. He talks about betting smaller hands, but that's the thing about gambling (as he even admits) - it's about the thrill he gets from it. And for him, given his wealth, he needs to gamble the large sums in order to really feel that thrill.

Until he admits that he has a problem and stops rationalizing it or saying he can cut back, he's going to continue to put himself at risk.

Meh, I think people think Barkley is in denial. I think him talking about shows that he's aware of his issue and that's just not as articulate about it being asked on the fly.

I don't think that for him, its the problem as it is for Daly, who is clearly a compulsive individual in seemingly everything.

Daly wants to sell books. That said, I don't know that it's a really big deal. For every athlete that talks about it, lots of others say nothing and you know they're losing tons.

They just live in a different world than the one we can relate to