Barkley Has Multi-Million Dollar Habit, But No Problem

Charles Barkley became the second high profile athlete this week to admit having a serious gambling problem. Barkley estimated that he had lost $10 million at the casino, which pales in comparison to John Daly who said he has lost $50-60 million, but I guess it’s still fairly substantial.

During halftime of the Piston/Bucks game, Barkley changed his tune denying that he had a problem and offering this priceless gem:

"It's not a problem. 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."

Good call from Sir Charles. With what he spends on a single hand of blackjack, crack heads and boozers could have enough money to get their fix for years. But no, gambling’s not a problem. I get his point, but it was in bad taste.

Anyway, I’m with MJD on this one… There’s a huge difference between what Barkley does and what Daly suffers from. Barkley’s habit or problem or whatever seems like it would make for an entertaining reality TV show. Maybe him, Michael Jordan and one of those MIT kids playing $20,000 per hand at the Mirage… Challenging dealers to fights when they flip over a five after being forced to hit on 16.

For Daly, there’s a very real chance that he will go flat broke as soon as he is done with golf and I don’t think his life stories would fit as well into a Masters’ broadcast as Barkley’s do on TNT.

Barkley claims gambling problem has cost him $10M – ESPN
“Hey, Look At Me! I Have A Gambling Problem, Too!” – The Mighty MJD