I like Charles Barkley. He was a great basketball player. He's fun to watch as a basketball analyst for TNT. But Charles apparently is a very bad gambler, claiming to have lost $10 million in the casinos over the past twenty years.

The news and sports shows are a buzz this week about him owing $400,000 to the Wynn Las Vegas Resort from a bad night at the tables this past October.

Now for the $64,000 question - does Charles Barkley have a gambling problem? I don't think so. But what is his problem then, if he has lost $10 million in the past twenty years at the casinos?

It's simple. He has a math problem. Charles doesn't understand the mathematical principles behind Las Vegas casinos - the house has an advantage when it comes to odds. And Charles has not figured it out - if you play for twenty years in Las Vegas, it's almost certain you will lose over the long run.

Charles, stop gambling with the Las Vegas house. Go someplace else, where you can get better odds, preferably when the odds are in your favor.

Charles, it's simple - you have a math problem. Fix it.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive