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Cathryn, his own words tell the story. He has gambled millions. He says he has "broken even" over ten years. His career is one where he preaches the value of example as a pillar of morality.

What has he preached to his own wife and children? That it's OK for Daddy, since he has a lot of money, to go to Vegas and Atlantic City, and wile away the time on $ 500 slots? He is in the big leagues of gambling, by any standard. He is not just dropping one or two hundred bucks every six months or so.

Yes, he has a gambling problem.He is smart enough to realize that his addictive habit could only result in being found out someday and being used to embarass him . That is self destructive behavior.So,yes, I would say he has a severe problem here. He compounds it by not acknowledging it(again, by his own words).He is not gambling for recreation--there is some other reason someone gambles big time like this--after all, isn't the reason behind gambling is to get something for nothing? Not much of a virtue, that.

When you set yourself up to be a cultural icon like he has, he has to have a stake in his message. Rightly or wrongly, folks will take from this that he doesn't value his own message. So, why should anyone else? Another voice for reason thus is neutralized.