If reports are accurate that National Hockey League star Jaromir Jagr racked up more than $500,000 in debt at an Internet sports book, the league isn't overly concerned.
News of Jagr's debt to online sports book CaribSports was leaked to Sports Illustrated, the book's owner, William Caesar said, in an effort to put pressure on the Czechoslovakian winger to pay up.
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"We have no prohibitive rules on recreational gambling by our players, provided no money is bet on NHL games."
- Bill Daily
National Hockey League
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SI reported that it had obtained documents showing Jagr's account history and his debt to CaribSports. Jagr's gambling at the site was primarily on football, according the report.
A spokesperson for the NHL told Interactive Gaming News today that even if the report is accurate the matter is out of the league's hand.
"We have no prohibitive rules on recreational gambling by our players, provided no money is bet on NHL games," said Bill Daily, the league's executive vice president and chief legal counsel.
Frank Brown, the vice president of media relations for the NHL, said that it was too hypothetical to say that the NHL or its players' union would revisit its gambling policy in light of the Jagr news.
Brown did say that the large amount of Internet gambling sites, and their proliferation into the United States is something that has caught the league's attention.
"There is an awareness of the issues that can be caused by Internet betting," he said but didn't expand on what those issues are or could be.
According to the SI story, Jagr's account with CaribSports was set up so that he was blocked from betting on NHL games.
"We did that for our own protection, not just his," Caesar told SI. "That would destroy us, if he destroyed the game."
Caesar didn't return repeated phone calls to IGN. Lila Leslie, the marketing manager for the site, declined to comment on how the story was leaked or whether the Belize-based sports book normally releases players' account information to the media.
Leslie also didn't comment on whether it was a common business practice to allow account holders to bet on games without having money in their accounts--something Jagr did.
Calls to both the Players Association and the Washington Capitals, the team the 31-year-old plays for, weren't returned either.
Jagr reportedly agreed to pay $450,000 several years ago to settle the debt after Caesar agreed to take off some of the debt that was originally owed.
A payment schedule was agreed upon in which Jagr agreed to make nine monthly payments of $37,500 and one payment of $112,500.
It is unclear how many payments were made, but Jagr reportedly stopped paying off his debt. That's when Caesar went to SI.
Following the release of the SI report, Jagr reportedly paid CaribSports 20 percent of the outstanding balance as the final payment on the debt. The story didn't say how much of the balance remained or how much the final payment was.
All Caesar would say was that he eventually waived a " majority of what he was owed."
Jagr's financial problems don't end with his inability to pick winners.
The IRS had filed a lien against him after discovering he owed $3.3 million in back taxes from 2001. Jagr has said that matter is being resolved.
Jaromir Jagr came into the NHL in 1990 and quickly become a super star as a line mate of legendary center Mario Lemieux. Jagr, who has already earned $64 million in salary since entering the league, is in the second year of a seven-year contract that will pay him a guaranteed $77 million.