from sports.espn.go.com posted with vodpod
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley just admitted that he owed a $400,000 gambling debt in Las Vegas. Barkley said it was his mistake, said he had the money, and would take care of it. But he’s admitted before that he loves to gamble high stakes and that he’s going to have to get it under control. Obviously he hasn’t.
I read an interesting statistic recently that 80% of youths between the ages of 12 and 17 have gambled in the last year. The internet is loaded with online poker games so it’s easier to access than ever.
Former mafia chief Michael Franzese used to fix pro and college football and basketball games. He calls gambling as addictive and destructive as drugs and steroids among college athletes.
Franzese calls it a hidden vice behind closed doors in college dorm rooms and now seeping into high schools.
Barkley is fooling himself if he thinks he’s got this under control and the trouble is he’s influencing thousands of impressionable youths with his “no big deal” attitude.
