“Scary”: Not $25 Million Loss, Charles Barkley’s Gambling Fear Was Triggered Due to This Reason

Charles Barkley is not afraid of a bold wager. Everyone’s seen that. He’s lost $100,000 nearly every Super Bowl betting against Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. He’s lost golf wagers betting on his own ‘terrible’ swing. Barkley has also lost his dignity in ‘joke’ bets with Shaquille O’Neal. But he’s not never hesitated to put his money where his mouth is. However, there’s one thing he draws a line at. He disclosed where even a ‘degenerate gambler’ like himself will not venture into on The Phillies Show.

The 76ers legend talked about the adjacent sports entertainment activities on the Philadelphia radio show. Despite indulging in sports gambling liberally, the evolving nature of this business scares him. He started off by saying, “I’ll make it clear. I’m a gambling degenerate, I don’t want to get on here and act like I’m anti-gambling. I love to gamble.”

However, he’s noticed the increasing trend of live in-game betting. That is not something he’d ever get into. “But some of the stuff that I see now is scary to me. That you can sit on your phone and bet who’s going to score the next basket, whether a guy’s going to make both free throws. If you’re betting on who’s going to score the next basket or if a guy’s gonna make two free throws … that’s a lot.”

Sir Charles’ Super Bowl tradition has been a trip to Las Vegas and wagering $100,000 on a team. But when he’s asked about what odds he’d make or an individual player’s scoring, Chuck always states he bets on a series or the game’s outcome. He’s never going to bet on precise statistics and that’s exactly what he stated on The Phillies Show. And his concerns are far more legitimate than financial loss.

Charles Barkley sees the future of sports betting

Charles Barkley revealed on Club Shay Shay recently that his biggest gambling losses amount to $25 million. “There’s probably been seven times that I won a million dollars,” he said. “But there’s probably been 25 times I’ve lost a million,” he told Shannon Sharpe in May.

He admits in the past it was a problem, and he was out of control. Yet he’s never going to stop. However, he’s not going to change his principles on it.

Sports gambling sites push for live bets because they’re difficult to win. Losing frustrates fans and take it out negatively on the athletes. Chuck believes this situation is ruining pro-sports the way NIL is ruining college athletics.

He very ominously states, “It’s going to get worse,” until leagues figure a way to regulate it. Meanwhile, Chuck’s going to self-regulate his unwavering addiction.