Sports

Charles Barkley has confessed that he has a gambling debt of $400,000 due to all of the gambling that he has done on the Las Vegas Strip. The NBA star now has a choice to either pay it in full or face serious criminal charges. “My mistake,” Barkley said in an interview at a pro-am golf tournament in Hoover, Ala. “I’m not broke, and I’m going to take care of it.”

Clark County District Attorney - David Roger - was the one who warned Barkley of the impending charges. “He’ll have an opportunity like anybody else to make restitution to the hotel,” Roger said.

The casino that Barkley owes the money to filed a civil complaint on Wednesday after Barkley failed to pay back the four $100,000 casino markers (also known as loans) that he took from them last October. “To date, and despite repeated demands, Barkley has refused to repay the $400,000,” the complaint said.

Charles Barkley spoke out in a radio interview and apologized for not paying up sooner taking responsibility for the whole matter. He told interviewers that the debt was taken out as a wager on the 2008 Super Bowl

“I’ve been gambling 20 years. I’ve never had this happen before,” the 45-year-old Barkley stated. “It’s my fault I let the time lapse. I screwed up.”

Barkley went on to say that he is not in any financial trouble and that if they had called him up and asked him for the money before filing the complaint he would have gladly paid up. “All they had to do is call and say, ‘Hey, you owe us this money,”’ he said.

Along with the $400,000 he also owes them an extra $40,000 in fees. If he refuses to pay he could face up to 10 years in prison.