NBA Hall of Famer and current TNT analyst Charles Barkley is an outspoken gambler who once admitted in an interview with ESPN back in 2006 that he lost $2.5 million in a two-hour window, noting that there were several occasions of him losing millions, summing up to more than $10 million in losses.
Barkley even works as a brand ambassador for FanDuel Sportsbook, being seen in multiple ad spots during this year's NBA playoffs.
Despite his highly publicized role with FanDuel , the Chuckster seems to have a problem with the explosion of legalized sports betting across the United States, saying there is simply "too much of it."
"There's too much of it," Barkley said. "We've got people in the stands betting on who's going make the next free throws. Think about that. If I was a scumbag, I'd look at a guy in the stands, a friend, and say, 'Yo, I'm going to miss both of these free throws.' Now, that's cheating."
While he is concerned about where this new environment will lead to, Barkley admits that gambling has always been a part of sports and claims to not know how to "put the toothpaste back in the tube."
"Listen, gambling's always been part of sports," Barkley added. "That's why the NFL is King Kong, but I am concerned that you can sit in the stands and make bets now in the middle of a basketball game. But, like I said, the toothpaste is out of the tube, and I don't know how to put it back in."
If you think with all that was noted about Barkley's previous gambling problems and his recent comments would deter him from participating--you'd be sorely mistaken.
Barkley told ESPN that he bet $100,000 on himself to finish in the American Century's top 70 last year. Although placing 76th in the tourney, he was refunded since Vegas prohibits anyone from betting on an event as a participant.
Barkley said that this time around, he'll have a friend place a wager for him. However, the state of Nevada also doesn't allow bets to be placed on behalf of someone participating in the event.
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