Barkley says he’s lost $10 million gambling
But ex-NBA star not worried since ‘it’s not a problem’ like alcoholism
 | Ex-NBA great Charles Barkley says he's lost about $10 million to gambling. |
Tom Strattman / AP file |
 | Slideshow |
 | more photos |
 | Video: NBA from NBC Sports |
 Scary time for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Nov. 10: Just a few years after a good friend passed away from leukemia, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was scared when he received his cancer diagnosis. |
Ask the NBA expert: Ira Winderman |
Do you have a burning question about your favorite team or player? Submit it now, and then check back for our reader mailbag on the 1st and 15th of each month. |  |
 | Slide show |
 | Week in Sports Pictures Flying on the hardwood, racing on the rink, getting physical on the gridiron, and much more. more photos |
BRISTOL, Conn. - Charles Barkley estimated that he’s lost about $10 million gambling over the years in an interview 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 analyst for TNT, later had a different assessment of his gambling habits.
“It’s not a problem,” Barkley said on TNT during halftime of the Pistons-Bucks 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 basketball, 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.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
LowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM NBA |
 NBA Section Front |
| Add NBA headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links