Barkley has a problem too?

[Lucky]

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You're right. It's fun to have a gambling problem. Good times.

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Why is it a problem to lose 10% of your money on a hobby if the remaining money leaves you with enough to live better than 999999/1000000 people in the world?
-James

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I think the point people miss about someone having a gambling problem as distinguished from all other problems is that gambling can take all your money, no matter who you are. If Charles Barkely can gamble away 10% of his money, in about an hour of craziness, he could gamble the other 90%.

Bill Gates could never buy enough sportboats, cocaine, hookers, Ferraris, islands, planes, whatever to spend all his money, but he could gamble it away....Well, maybe not him, but anyone else, esp some pro athlete who's got a 15m net worth. That money can be gone in a heartbeat.

[Chris.]

I think the mainstream media tends to blow gambling losses (or wins) out of proportion in a lot of cases. There is always the subtle (or not-so-subtle) theme of "oh this guy has lost/won X amount of money gambling - he must be an addict". Then they throw around these huge numbers that seems enormous to your typical working class adult. In many cases -- it's just not that much money in the grand scheme of things to them.

Kind of like how our family or friends might react when they find out how much we put out on the tables in a typical session, or how much or gross losses/winnings are for the month.

[jhodges]

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I think the mainstream media tends to blow gambling losses (or wins) out of proportion in a lot of cases. There is always the subtle (or not-so-subtle) theme of "oh this guy has lost/won X amount of money gambling - he must be an addict". Then they throw around these huge numbers that seems enormous to your typical working class adult. In many cases -- it's just not that much money in the grand scheme of things to them.

Kind of like how our family or friends might react when they find out how much we put out on the tables in a typical session, or how much or gross losses/winnings are for the month.

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I agree with your sentiment. The message they give us is if you lose money you have a gambling problem. Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Ted Forrest, and Chip Reece are gambling freaks but no one is suggesting they have a gambling problem. I understand that some people ruin lives gambling away their money but everything is relative.

[The DaveR]

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You're right. It's fun to have a gambling problem. Good times.

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Why is it a problem to lose 10% of your money on a hobby if the remaining money leaves you with enough to live better than 999999/1000000 people in the world?
-James

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I will pray for you, Diablo, Barkley, John Daly, TJ, Ivey, and CDC.

[The DaveR]

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Not surprising at all. He hung out with Jordan a lot and gambled with him continuously.

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There was also the old rumor that Jordan gambled a ton and was "asked" by Stern to retire in the 90s so that talk about his problem gambling would die down.

[droopy0021]

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where did you hear about phil mickelson. i find this rather intriguing since he comes across as a good family man.

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Ummm, gambling doesn't necessarily make someone a bad family man. If you mean he comes across as "square" or a tee-totaller(sp?), then I'd agree. Guy grew up in San Diego and plays golf.

Amounts these guys bet are all relative. As long as he's not jeopardizing his family's future, he should feel free.

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2005/53/6OLL.html

Guy who makes $26.8MM in one year can afford to gamble a bit. Guy like me throws $250k on Super Bowl moneyline? Bad news (unless it hits [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img])

PS I don't make $26.8MM per year, just to clarify.

[bobbyi]

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I think the mainstream media tends to blow gambling losses (or wins) out of proportion in a lot of cases. There is always the subtle (or not-so-subtle) theme of "oh this guy has lost/won X amount of money gambling - he must be an addict". Then they throw around these huge numbers that seems enormous to your typical working class adult. In many cases -- it's just not that much money in the grand scheme of things to them.

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I don't think this is something specific to gambling. This is the same way they treat all large expenditures from wealthy people.

[DarthIgnurnt]

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There was also the old rumor that Jordan gambled a ton and was "asked" by Stern to retire in the 90s so that talk about his problem gambling would die down.

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I have heard this as well.

I was 12 when Jordan was a rookie and early 20's when he retired the first time ... he was/is my absolute hero. I would not cast doubt on his statements lightly, but I never believed for a second he retired to play baseball.

[CrayZee]

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You're right. It's fun to have a gambling problem. Good times.

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You do realize that people with gambling problems are the ones who make poker beatable?

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I was joking about Barkley. But I don't think you're entirely correct about that observation. Not everyone that plays poker and loses is a degenerate gambler. What you consider not fun may be what other people consider fun. Lighten up. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Have you ever played craps or known others to play just for fun? Not everyone plays poker thinking they're going to make big, big money. It's okay. It's called a "hobby." Maybe you like model airplanes or ships in a bottle more.

[prohornblower]

I hope Barkley loses all of his money and becomes destitute.