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FacebookThe Wynn sues Barkley, claims $400,000 gambling debts unpaid
NBA legend, a self-described gambling addict, will have a chance to repay
Thu, May 15, 2008 (2 a.m.)
Former NBA star Charles Barkley, now a broadcast analyst for TNT, has estimated his total gambling losses at $10 million.
Sun Archive
Wynn Las Vegas filed a lawsuit in District Court on Wednesday to force former National Basketball Association star Charles Barkley to pay back $400,000 in gambling markers the casino alleges it extended him last year.
The casino also persuaded the Clark County district attorney’s bad check unit to open a criminal investigation. The unit has authority under state law to investigate gambling debts in the same manner as bad checks.
District Attorney David Roger said Barkley will be notified of the investigation and given an opportunity to make restitution to Wynn Las Vegas to avoid being charged with a felony.
“We prosecute cases like this every day,” Roger said. “Mr. Barkley will be treated the same as everybody else.”
Barkley has been appearing as a studio analyst on the cable TV network TNT, which is airing the NBA playoffs. Efforts to reach him at the TNT studios in Atlanta late Wednesday were unsuccessful.
In a May 2006 ESPN interview, Barkley acknowledged he had a gambling problem, estimating his losses totaled $10 million.
Lawyers for Wynn Las Vegas declined to comment. But in its four-page lawsuit, the resort said it had extended four $100,000 markers to Barkley, two each on Oct. 18 and Oct. 19, that have not been paid back.
“By taking the $400,000 in credit and refusing to pay the amount despite repeated attempts, Barkley has wrongfully exercised dominion and control over Wynn’s property,” the suit said. “Barkley has exercised this dominion in derogation, exclusion and defiance of Wynn’s rights in its property.”
The suit, signed by Kimmarie Sinatra, general counsel for Wynn Resorts, the parent company of Wynn Las Vegas, also seeks attorneys fees, court costs and interest on the $400,000 from Barkley, whom it identifies as a resident of Arizona.
Barkley, voted the NBA’s most valuable player in 1993 as a member of the Phoenix Suns, is a frequent Las Vegas visitor. In a February 2007 interview with a Phoenix TV station, he claimed to have won $700,000 in one weekend on the Strip, mostly from blackjack and betting on the Super Bowl.
The 13-time NBA All-Star also has not been shy about discussing his struggles with gambling.
“It’s just a stupid habit that I’ve got to get under control, because it’s just not a good thing to be broke after all of these years,” Barkley was quoted as saying in his 2006 ESPN interview.
When questioned after the ESPN interview on his own TNT basketball show, Barkley talked about the frustrations of trying to beat the house in Las Vegas.
“But I’ve got to understand you can’t beat the casino,” he said. “You might win a lot of money from them, but in the long run they are going to win more money from you, and I’ve got to get to a point where I don’t gamble for as much.”
Discussion: 18 comments so far…
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The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
I never could understand what would drive a person to piss all their hard earned money away at a casino. I just don't get it.
JJ
http://www.Privacy-Center.Net
One more roll.
I wonder what happened behind the scenes that Wynn had to outright sue him to get the money back. He must have refused to ever pay it back.
I wonder if he'll counter sue and claim that it was well known he had a gambling problem and the casino enabled him to keep gambling. One successful suit like that and the whole empire can fall.
HE COULD SELL HALF OF HIS FAT ARSE AND PAY THE DEBT OFF PRONTO! YOU GOTTA PAY TO PLAY,HE THOUGHT HE WAS A HIGH ROLLER WHEN HE WAS JUST ANOTHER SUCKER,PAY UP TENTONTOBY!!
Mikeg, Barkley isn't responding to requests for the money, so Wynn has no choice but to file suit.
As far as Barkley filing a counter suit, would a Nevada court entertain the notion that the Wynn is responsible for the debt? I'd find that hard to believe. Maybe in my home state of MA that would work.
Did Wynn go and ask for the money back when barkley was winning? We buy tickets to the NBA games for entertainment and thats what he was doing paying for gaming entertainment.
Casinokid
Once again, another product of professional sports demonstrates a complete lack of responsibility. This guy is just an oversized punk. He's funny as hell sometimes, but that just hides the fact that his ego is the only thing grwoing faster than his waistline.
I once saw him pick up his car at valet and give the parker nothing more than a kiss on the hand. What a cheap jerk.
PAY UP CHUMP!
gotta wonder if these are his only unpaid markers...
Most likely they will do a settlement for less then the $400k like for $200k and Barkley will pay the money in installments.
It will most likely reduce his ability to get more markers in the future but I am sure some casino will give him more.
Too bad for him, he definitly has a gambling problem.
I am not sure how ESPN or TNT or any other network can keep somebody like that on their staff. He is a target for somebody that wants to get insider information on teams and games. He could even try to influence players to throw games.
He is a time bomb waiting to go off.
Quick! Somebody loan me a hundred bucks! I'm on a roll!!
Same Barkley who spit on a 10 yr old girl while playing in an NBA game, who threw an old man thru a window, who got a well liked sportsbook mgr fired over another marker fiasco. If you pick up a snake and it bites you, you knew it was a snake when you picked it up.
I told Charles a million times to play RED!.... and when you are thorougly drunk and at the craps table STOP betting the horn for godsakes!
That run on the 7 wins in the Don't Pass was just a sucker to get you primed to dump that whole 400K on the next easy 8. Those Wynn dealers arer some sneaky muthefekckas
Don't hassle the debt collectors you tards! They are just making a living.
Charlie is dodging the phone calls or we would NEVER see this in INTERWEBS!.
Actually, I don't mind Wynn suing him (they should). But this nonsense of treating gambling markers like checks, and having the DA go after him on bad check charges should be squashed, they should be treated like any other debts (ie. credit cards). If the casinos want to give credit, they should have to take the same risks as every other creditor.
I think i was a bad call going to the media. I know if i was a high profile player, the kind of player Wynn goes after, I would have second thoughts befor I play there. Just the chance that he is going to drag a private transaction between the casino and myself through the public eye. Bad business decision. He could have done this with a lot less fan fare.
Back in the ole' days.., he would've been a hole in the Mojave...