LAS VEGAS - Charles Barkley acknowledged he owes a $400,000 gambling debt to a Las Vegas Strip casino and promised Thursday to repay it after a prosecutor said the retired NBA star faced criminal charges. "My mistake," Barkley said in an interview at a pro-am golf tournament in Hoover, Ala. "I‘m not broke, and I‘m going to take care of it."

"He‘ll have an opportunity like anybody else to make restitution to the hotel," Roger said.

"To date, and despite repeated demands, Barkley has refused to repay the $400,000," the complaint said.

He told radio interviewers and a reporter at the golf tournament that the debt stemmed from a wager on the 2008 Super Bowl. He did not explain why Wynn alleged the loans were made in October.

Barkley, now a basketball analyst for Turner Network Television, denied any personal financial problems, and said the casino didn‘t call him before filing the complaint.

A Wynn Las Vegas spokeswoman did not immediately respond to Barkley‘s comments. A hotel official earlier declined comment on the court case, citing ongoing litigation.

Roger said that if the case remains unresolved, as many as four felony theft or four felony bad check charges could be filed. The possible penalty for each theft conviction is one to 10 years in state prison. A conviction on a felony bad check charge could carry a one- to four-year term.

Barkley has made no secret of his gambling over the years. He estimated during a May 2006 interview with ESPN that he‘d gambled away about $10 million over the years.

He said he never bet on basketball, and only bet in casinos. He called it a bad habit, but said he intended to continue.