“Stayed Up All Night Gambling”: Charles Barkley Reiterates His Love for Risking His Own Money in Las Vegas on CNN

Sports betting is steadily becoming a hot-button issue. Considering that most US states have declared or are set to declare sports betting as legal, the scene is flooded with platforms promoting the trade. In that wake, Charles Barkley reflected upon his gambling habits on his CNN show King Charles, with co-host Gayle King. NBA commentator Bomani Jones was a guest during a recent edition of the show, where Barkley talked about why he loves gambling.

Barkley touched upon his partnership with Fan Duel and then declared “I love gambling”.  Gayle King then wondered why the former NBA MVP loves to gamble so much. She asked him about how he was in Las Vegas recently to profess his love for the trade. 

“Yes, and I stayed up all night gambling, yup. All night, I did. It is exciting,” Barkley told King.

The former 76ers superstar also touched upon how he won a lot when asked by his co-host about his winnings. This is one of many times when Barkley has alluded to his love for wagering. In 2016, during an interview with Graham Bensinger, he highlighted the thrill he gets while gambling. The former NBA Forward also revealed how he has won a million dollars in bets “5 to 6 times”.

However, he also confessed to losing a similar amount “10 to 20 times”. Therefore, while he loves the excitement of winning, the Round Mound of Rebound has paid a heavy price for his gambling habits. To mend some of the damage, Barkley then heeded a friend’s advice asking him to stop after winning $50,000 or so.

Thus, the gambling enthusiast knows the dangers of the trade “first-hand” and has evolved his methodologies despite major losses. In that wake, Barkley is alarmed about the trends that have developed after sports betting has found legal acceptance.

Charles Barkley is concerned about the spree of online sports gambling

During his King Charles show, the 1993 NBA MVP raised huge concerns regarding gambling. For him, online sports betting is going too far, especially the nature of the bets. He criticized the “over/under” type of bets, as for him, this “pours gasoline on fire”. His co-host King pointed out how these forms of bets have resulted in people cussing NBA players for not hitting the “over” mark when they put their money on the line. Citing the examples of Chris Boucher and Fred VanVleet who faced the ordeal, King asked Barkley how he reconciled the idea of gambling being fun with such behavior from bettors.

“It’s extreme but it’s gonna happen more and more. When somebody bets on you as a player, it’s like when you’re not gonna do, they’re gonna say bad things. Everybody is a superman behind the keyboard,” Charles Barkley replied to his co-host.

Apart from that, the 11x NBA All-Star added that “kids should not be able” to engage in sports betting. Barkley urged betting platforms to dig up ways to prevent kids from accessing the betting arena. In other words, the outspoken personality suggested an “age limit” for gambling and ensured the verification of the same.