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[Saba Sports News] While legal sports betting has surged in popularity across the U.S., Charles Barkley is sticking with his old-school ways — and his latest revelation caught plenty of attention.
During 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, Barkley casually revealed that he still places bets through a personal bookie.
The moment came as he discussed his ill-fated confidence in the Toronto Maple Leafs to win Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“I told my bookie, ‘Game 7 is a lock for Toronto,’” Barkley admitted, before lamenting the Maple Leafs’ sixth straight Game 7 loss as “demoralizing.”
But it wasn’t just his bad pick that raised eyebrows. Studio hosts Paul Bissonnette and Will Arnett couldn’t help but focus on Barkley’s mention of using a bookie, despite the widespread availability of legal sports betting platforms.
“Hey, FanDuel only lets me bet so much,” Barkley joked, “so I gotta have a bookie on the side.”
That one-liner was a goldmine for fans — and likely a few sportsbook executives and IRS agents as well. It also speaks to Barkley’s longstanding reputation as a high-stakes gambler.
He’s never shied away from discussing his love of betting, once revealing that he dropped five figures on a single NFL game and was furious with how he lost.
In an era of regulated sports betting, Barkley’s habits are a reminder that traditional bookies still have a customer base — especially when your name is Charles Barkley and your wagers are too big for the apps to handle.