Chas. Barkley, besides being a funny TV commentator, is apparently also a crack sports gambler.
This is from the Orange County Register's sports section:
Barkley's big bets: According to the "Sports Betting" column in Sunday's Daily Racing Form, former NBA star Charles Barkley won $700,000 on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas without putting any of his money down.
Barkley wagered $500,000 on the Patriots, plus 14 points, and another $50,000 on the Patriots, straight-up, at 4-1 odds, in the Mandalay Bay sports book.
The wagers were legal, but they were made on Barkley's $500,000 credit line without being required to sign "markers" (a promise to pay his debt in case he lost). Nick Bogdanovich, Mandalay's sports book director, apparently approved the wagers and issued the betting slips to Barkley without the permission of his superiors at the hotel.
When it was discovered that Barkley had exceeded his betting line and had not signed for the bets, a Mandalay Bay casino host tracked down Barkley at the MGM Grand and asked him to cancel the wagers shortly before kickoff. He reportedly refused.
And when the Patriots pulled the stunning upset, Sir Charles collected about $700,000 in winnings.
The next day, Bogdanovich resigned from his job at Mandalay Bay.