Charles Barkley says family-run underground casino was ripped off
NBA legend Charles Barkley, one of the most colorful players in basketball history, has added to his life story by revealing his family ran an underground casino and engaged in smuggling as a child in Alabama gained knowledge.
Buckley, who was born in Leeds, Alabama, in February 1963, reveals in a new authorized biography by author Timothy Bella that his family engaged in illegal activities to make ends meet. The 11-time NBA All-Star and 1993 NBA MVP said his family ran card games and sold counterfeit liquor out of their home in the 1960s and early 1970s.
"On the weekends, the house was like a casino," Buckley said in Bella's biography, "Barkley: A Biography." "The guys came on Friday and drank and played until Sunday."
Buckley's mother, Chassie Buckley, said she and Charles' stepfather, Klee Glenn, both worked and Charles helped them with cleaning duties. However, the family still struggles to pay their bills. Eventually, they turned to side hustles, turning their homes into illegal gambling and alcohol businesses.
“How much money can you make working in a meatpacking plant?” Chasi asks in the book, referring to Klee’s job. "Or work as a maid? So we sell wine."
Admit gambling losses
Like many other athletes, including golfers Phil Mickelson and John Daly, boxer Floyd Mayweather, baseball player Pete Rose and basketball GOAT Michael Jordan, who Barkley admitted had a keen interest in sports during his career, also opened a casino. In 2007, Barkley admitted in an interview with ESPN that he had lost at least $20 million.
This is silly. "It's a bad habit," Barkley said at the time."But I can afford it. When I lost $2.5 million, I didn't kill myself. I loved playing and I wasn't going to give up."
In a 2015 interview, Barkley told CBS Sports that his goal in Las Vegas was always to win $1 million.
"I'd get $300,000, $400,000, $500,000 and lose it all, then lose another $1 million," Buckley said. "You can never destroy a casino. I went to Vega He won $1 million a few times. Probably ten times."
rags to riches
But Buckley admitted that every time he won a million dollars, he lost a million dollars, about three times.
Buckley's story remains one of rags to riches. He also broke the color barrier in Alabama as he was the first black child born in a segregated hospital in Leeds. Buckley's grandfather, Adolphus Edwards, was a janitor at the hospital and asked for his help in allowing him to give birth there.
Buckley suffered from severe anemia until a complete blood transfusion cured him.
"My mom always jokes, 'I don't know what blood they put into you,'" Buckley told Bella.
FanDuel Ambassador
Barkley admitted that he often lost control of his gambling, but that didn't stop him from being recruited as a marketing partner by one of the largest sportsbooks in the United States.
In 2020, FanDuel signed a multi-year deal with Buckley to increase the visibility of the sports betting platform in the United States.
Barkley has since appeared in various promotional content for FanDuel. This sports betting provider, along with DraftKings, is a leader in the sports betting market.
Read also:
- Blackjack Casino Advantage: How to Beat the Odds
- Football 101: What is relegation in football?
- Record number of illegal gambling machines seized in Colombia
- Lawmakers are rethinking online mobile sports betting in Mississippi
Source: www.casino.org
