"Back when I would play it was pretty much even (between me and MJ)," he said. "But I tell you what, and I apologise to Michael for saying this ... we'd be playing golf with certain people on a couple of hundred dollars a hole. But he'd like to play for, like, $100,000."
Barkley recalled a time when he was told to move out of the way for Jordan to take a putt for the small sum of $300,000.
"It was crazy, man. But I never understood why they were playing for that much."
While incredulous at his former rival's betting habits, Barkley admitted to fluttering a little too hard in Las Vegas with his NBA riches.
"I developed that problem a few years ago. When I went to Vegas, I won a million dollars. I probably won a million dollars five times, but probably lost a million 25 (other times).
"I developed this thing where I had to win a million, so I quit gambling for two years. But when I was talking to my close friends I'd say: 'Man, I really miss gambling'. And they'd tell me that I should but I just shouldn't be an idiot.
"The key to being successful is to keep good people around you. My friend would say: 'Dude, you're just an idiot when you gamble'. So now when I go to gamble, I just do it to have fun."
Barkley has good reason to shy away from huge bets on golf, considering his swing has been labelled the "worst of all time", earning millions of views on social media.
Barkley admitted he "sucks at golf" on The Colbert Report last year. He said he's hit a few people with his wild heave.
"I don't like playing charity tournaments ... it's very nerve-racking, because once you hit the first person, you get really nervous. I could really hurt somebody.
"I choke under pressure on the golf course, that's the only way to explain it."
