Sports gambling has become increasingly popular in recent years as more states legalize it, but Charles Barkley is still placing his bets the old-school way.
Barkley made a guest appearance on TNT’s alternate broadcast of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. He admitted to studio hosts Paul Bissonnette and Will Arnett that he thought the Toronto Maple Leafs were “a lock” in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals despite their lengthy history of choking in that exact situation.
Barkley said he told his bookie that “Game 7 is a lock for Toronto.” He called the loss, which was the Maple Leafs’ sixth straight in a Game 7, “demoralizing.”
But Bissonette and Arnett seemed more fixated on Barkley saying he has a bookie. The Hall of Fame former NBA star elaborated.
“Hey, FanDuel only lets me bet so much, so I gotta have a bookie on the side,” Barkley said.
Charles Barkley's gambling is apparently too much for FanDuel to contain.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 23, 2025
"FanDuel only lets me bet so much so I gotta have a bookie on the side." pic.twitter.com/FTLLpX2odG
FanDuel, DraftKings and all other major sportsbooks should give Barkley a call after hearing that and offer to raise his limits. We certainly know he is good for the money. Though, Chuck probably has other reasons for not wanting to use one of the mainstream sports betting apps. The IRS probably took note of his comments as well.
Barkley has long been open about his love for gambling. He revealed years ago that he bet five figures on a game and was furious with the NFL over the way he lost.
If you want to know why bookies will never go out of business even as legal sports betting becomes more widespread, just ask Barkley.
