I only vaguely know of casino markers; like most people, I'm guessing, I don't wager all that much when I make it to Las Vegas, and I am not going to bet what I do not have easily on hand.

So I read with interest the story of Charles Barkley, who now says he will be repaying $400,000 that Wynn Las Vegas says it loaned him in October.

"I'm not broke, and I'm going to take care of it," Barkley told The Associated Press.

You're asking: Why mention Barkley on this blog? Well, Barkley's affinity for gambling is no secret. And he admitted in February he lost big on Super Bowl XLII.

What's more, Barkley, according to the AP, told a Birmingham, Ala. radio station today that, as the AP put it, "the debt stemmed from a wager on the 2008 Super Bowl. [Barkley] did not explain why Wynn alleged the loans were made in October."

The timing of the events is curious -- would Wynn give Barkley the markers in October for gambling that was to occur in February? I don't have the slightest idea. I don't know how that works, or even if such a thing would or could happen. I mean, I would think any casino would want you putting money lent in play immediately. (If you know, let me know in the comments.) And in any event, why would Barkley be thinking about laying a massive Super Bowl wager down a month before Thanksgiving?

Don't know about you, but I'm hoping for more on this story. In the interim, the lesson, I guess, is this: Do not mess with the Wynn and Clark County, Nevada.