Ice Hockey: Roenick gambled on sports

Flyers star Jeremy Roenick gambled on sports, though he did nothing illegal and nothing against NHL rules, but says he stopped after Philadelphia general manager Bob Clarke warned him about betting.

"I enjoyed it, but I don't think I had a problem," Roenick told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I shut it off cold turkey."

The FBI came across Roenick's name, according to a story Sunday in the Inquirer, in April during an investigation of National Sports Consultants, a gambling tout service in Fort Myers, Fla.

Investigators dropped their inquiry into Roenick's actions after concluding that he did not bet on the Flyers -- or any other hockey team -- and was not involved in any illegal activity, according to the Inquirer. The NHL does not prohibit legal gambling on sports other than hockey.

A law official said that Roenick paid the handicapping firm more than $100,000, but he told the Inquirer that it was far less than that and that his total bets were somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000.

The story does not make clear where Roenick placed his bets. National Sports Consultants has been accused of claiming falsely to have inside information on games and of taking kickbacks for referring bettors to offshore Internet casinos.

Roenick said he never talked hockey to the touts, who give tips for a fee but do not handle bets. Roenick's betting interests ran to football and basketball, according to the Inquirer.

Although Roenick said he stopped gambling after Clarke's warning in January, two touts told the Inquirer that Roenick bet into the spring. Eleven handicappers from the firm have pleaded guilty to federal gambling chargers.