TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley commented that he needs a “bookie on the side” because FanDuel does not allow him to place the bets he wants.
Speaking in an interview on TruTV’s broadcast of Game 2 between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, Barley commented, “FanDuel only lets me bet so much, so I got to have a bookie on the side.”
Barkley has a history of high-stakes sports betting, previously admitting to losing over $25 million. In the past, he commented, “Do I have a gambling problem? Yeah, I do. But I don’t consider it a problem because I can afford to gamble.”
Barkley said there was a time when he couldn’t be happy just winning or losing $300,000 and needed to push it to $1 million during a weekend.
He later admitted having to take a break from betting due to racking up losses, stating, “I didn’t gamble for two years… I just got tired of losing. I didn’t quit because I had a problem. I quit because I was losing too much money.”
During the broadcast, he also reported losing a bet on the Maple Leafs to win Game 7 of their series with the Florida Panthers, although he did not divulge the amount.
“I thought when they got back to Toronto for Game 7, (a Maple Leafs win) is a lock,” Barkley said on the broadcast. “That’s what I told my bookie. To see them lose like that, it was demoralizing as a fan.”
Player limits at sportsbooks under scrutiny
FanDuel, like many regulated sportsbooks, often places restrictions on customers to protect its bottom line. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is currently investigating player limits and during a meeting, FanDuel representative Cory Fox stated, “We do limit customers who simply have a better model or who are arbitraging.”
Other sportsbooks commented that they place limits on players, but not because they are winning. Kenneth Fuchs of Caesars said, “We are not banning customers for beating us.”
These sentiments were echoed by Fanatics, represented by Alex Smith. “The notion that if you win, you’ll be banned is not statistically correct,” Smith said. He claimed many players who had been limited were net losing.
That could well be the case with Barkley, given his history of gambling losses. The “Inside the NBA” analyst went on an 0-21 streak during a FanDuel-sponsored segment with recommended parlays, but finally ended the losing streak last month.
Many Americans need a “bookie on the side”
Barkley is not alone in needing more than one source to get his bets on, however. Despite sports betting being legal in 38 states, 33% of Americans use offshore sportsbooks.
The companies based in less regulated jurisdictions, such as Curacao, Panama, or Malta, often offer gamblers the chance to play at higher stakes and with fewer restrictions. Barkley did not mention whether his “bookie on the side” was an offshore platform.
Adam is an experienced writer with years of experience in the gambling industry. He has worked as a content writer and editor for five years on sites such as Oddschecker, CoinTelegraph and Gambling Industry News, bringing excellent knowledge of the world of sports betting and online gambling. Adam focuses on emerging stories in the ever changing landscape of betting in the US. Read the latest on prediction markets, changing legislation, and sweepstakes.
