O, by the Way: Barkley: No more gambling -- casinos shuttering doors - A blog about sports by The Baltimore Sun's Bill Ordine

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Barkley: No more gambling -- casinos shuttering doors

The lights along the famed Las Vegas Strip glowed just a little dimmer last night.

Charles Bakley swore off gambling -- "for right now."

Actually, Barkley's "for right now" is significant. He said he meant for the next year or two. Barkley's gambling has become grist for the public mill ever since the Wynn Las Vegas filed a civil complaint last week that he owned the swanky casino resort $400,000 in markers from last October. The Clark County D.A. followed by saying he could seek a criminal complaint. Last night on the TNT basketball show, Barkley said the money had been repaid.

"Just because I can afford to lose money doesn't mean I should do it," Barkley said in a reversal of his former stance of it's-not-a-problem-because-I-can-afford-it.

Here's Barkley with one his broadcast partners, Ernie Johnson Jr, sayimg he's through with gambling for the immediate future,

Posted by Bill Ordine on May 20, 2008 9:30 AM | Permalink

Comments

I wish him lot's of luck if he really means to stop. People don't usually stop something addictive until they hit rock bottom, but not knowing his whole story i can't say.
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Bob,
You have talked a little about your personal understanding of the issue and you make a good point. For a guy to pull out of this after a relatively small incident would be unusual. Here's something else, I don't know that Charles will actually avoid Las Vegas ... his intention may be just to stop gambling. If he keeps going to town ... and remember, the guy lives in Phoenix ... it makes it more difficult. Like you, I'm rooting for him. I wrote about covering the second and final financial fall of Leonard Tose when he was evicted form his home on his birthday. Sad stuff.
-- Bill O.

Posted by: bob lancione | May 20, 2008 9:35 AM

Wanna Bet?

Posted by: Stevc Kashc | May 20, 2008 11:59 AM

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About the blogger

Bill Ordine has been a reporter and editor for more than 25 years and during that time has covered Super Bowls, major murder trials, township zoning board meetings and bat mitzvahs. In his time with The Baltimore Sun, he has been an assistant city editor, pro football writer, poker columnist, enterprise sports reporter and now blogger -- which may indicate his editors have yet to find a job he can get right.