Every now and then, I'll bet a friend some insignificant amount of money -- usually a dollar -- that this or that will happen in a basketball game, or a football game, or maybe even the World Pillow Fight Championships. But when I win, my buddies never pay up. I have no idea how much money this has cost me over the years. It could be tens of dollars, it could be thousands. Heck, for all I know, I should be retired and swimming in my giant money bin, Scrooge McDuck-style. But I never asked for the money, so I have no one to blame but myself.

Unlike me, one Las Vegas casina -- the Wynn Casino, to be exact -- is asking, nay, demanding that Charles Barkley make good on his $400,000 gambling debt. Apparently, Sir Swindler conveniently misremembered to cover four $100,000 casino markers (loans) he got from Wynn last October. And unless Chuck ponies up the cash, he could end up in jail. Again.

Update! Chuck has responded. "My mistake. I'm not broke, and I'm going to take care of it. I've been gambling 20 years. I've never had this happen before. It's my fault I let the time lapse. I screwed up. All they had to do is call and say, 'Hey, you owe us this money.'"

So I guess that's that. But you know what? I hope Charles and Kenny Smith put together a Barkley's Eleven to get the money back. Especially if Wynn is run by a menacing bastard who's currently dating Barkley's long-lost love while also totally screwing over one of Chuck's best friends. Ernie Johnson could be the straight man, Magic Johnson could say a bunch of silly things, and...well, you get the idea. That would be so rad.

Labels: Charles Barkley, debts, gambling, Kenny "The Jet" Smith, Las Vegas