Less than a week after admitting he owed more than $400,000 in debt to a Las Vegas Strip casino, Charles Barkley said on Monday that he will stop gambling.

The Wynn Las Vegas resort filed a civil complaint in Nevada state court last Wednesday, alleging that Mr. Barkley failed to repay four $100,000 casino markers received October 18 and 19 in 2007. Clark County District Attorney David Roger said that if the debt was not paid, prosecutors would file a criminal complaint against Barkley.

During a pregame show before Game 7 between San Antonio and New Orleans, Barkley said, "I like to go into Vegas, it's a fun place, but you know what, I've got to stop gambling. That's the bottom line. I am not going to gamble anymore. For right now, the next year or two, I'm not going to gamble."

Barkley went on to thank fans for being supportive, and indicated that the debt had been paid off. He also made special emphasis to point out that he did not have any financial worries.

"I have no, no money problems whatsoever. Nobody's coming after me for money. I screwed up and didn't pay them in a significant amount of time. Could they have handled it differently? Yes. But it was my fault," he said.

Over the years, Barkley has been open about his gambling. In a 2006 interview with ESPN, he estimated that he had gambled away about $10 million over the years. Until now, he had always defended it saying that he had the money to lose.

However, on Monday Barkley was singing a different tune. This time he said it was time for a break, and that he would try to do it on his own without professional help.