Craig Carton talks 'normalized' sports betting, being open with friends and family about gambling addiction

Each year, millions spot bets connected the Super Bowl, and sometimes bettors instrumentality things excessively far. 

Thirty-nine states — Missouri conscionable approved it to go the 40th — and the District of Columbia let wagers to beryllium placed legally. 

Sunday's Super Bowl betwixt the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles is the cleanable clip for Craig Carton, a recovering gambling addict and FanDuel liable gaming consultant, to stock his connection astir betting responsibly. 

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Craig Carton, WFAN sports vigor property and an outspoken recovering gambling addict, tapes his play gambling show, "Hello, My Name is Craig," successful New York City May 22, 2022.  (Imagn)

Carton, who is besides the co-host of Fox Sports’ "Breakfast Ball," has been unfastened astir his gambling addiction. He says it’s been 7 years since he’s gambled, and his enactment with FanDuel, successful its 5th year, has a connection that has helped many.

"I get radical reaching retired to maine each the clip present aft proceeding my communicative and proceeding astir the concern I person with FanDuel asking however we tin help," helium told Fox News Digital connected Radio Row up of Sunday's Super Bowl successful New Orleans. 

"Because there’s a tiny percent of radical that are going to request assistance that can’t unluckily gamble responsibly and recreationally. I deliberation we’re starting to spot the fruits of the labour aft the past 4 years wherever radical are present aware. Like, ‘Hey, this is what it looks like, this is however it feels. These are the informing signs if idiosyncratic successful my beingness is gambling uncontrollably.’ 

"I’m blessed that we’re unneurotic twelvemonth 5 now, maine and FanDuel, and to spot that the messaging is working, radical are signing up for the tools FanDuel has to offer, and it’s been precise rewarding."

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Carton says this concern doesn’t conscionable assistance radical who whitethorn beryllium struggling with controlled gambling, it besides helps him erstwhile he’s proceeding stories from radical being open. 

"For a batch of people, (Gamblers Anonymous) is the lone answer," helium said. "I went to GA, and it’s large for a bulk of people. For me, getting to speech to caller radical I person not talked to for years astir occupation gambling and however to flooded it is perfectly therapeutic. 

"When I bash ‘The Comeback,’ a caller amusement we’re premiering connected FanDuel, oregon ‘Hello, My Name is Craig’ connected Audacy and WFAN successful New York City, that’s my GA. You’re getting to perceive different people’s stories, stock my story. 

"It’s a bully reminder for me, adjacent though I’m astir 7 years without gambling, truthful that volition beryllium smart. Hearing different people’s communicative of recovery, the worst infinitesimal of lives they’re consenting to verbalize, is selfishly precise steadfast for maine to hear."

Craig Carton and Boomer Esiason airs for a photograph earlier calling a crippled betwixt the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins connected WFAN astatine the Barclays Center Nov. 30, 2016, successful Brooklyn.  (Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)

Carton preaches liable gaming due to the fact that of however it has go truthful normalized passim the country. And that means the adjacent procreation volition beryllium increasing up successful that world.

"That’s the biggest people radical of radical we interest astir due to the fact that 21-year-old kids are kids," helium said. "They’re inactive immature and don’t truly get the afloat worth of a dollar. So, you privation to marque definite those kids person capable accusation arsenic possible, particularly erstwhile you person definite states … I was conscionable talking to a vigor amusement successful North Carolina today. 

"Huge assemblage basketball, assemblage shot state. So, if you’re a assemblage kid, it makes sense. ‘Oh, I’m going to wager connected North Carolina, Duke, N.C. State,' immoderate it whitethorn be. Those are the kids that are present legally allowed to bash it that we’re disquieted astir about.

"My kids, the adjacent procreation of gamblers, oregon conscionable radical that similar sports, talking astir gambling is present going to beryllium a meal array conversation."

Carton isn’t saying the meal array speech is simply a atrocious thing. He feels, due to the fact that sports gambling is normalized, that talking to friends and household astir your problem, oregon speaking to idiosyncratic you emotion who is showing signs of occupation gambling, won’t beryllium stigmatized. 

Super Bowl LIX volition beryllium streamed connected Tubi. (Tubi)

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"A bully portion of that is, if it’s normalized, if it’s mainstreamed, present it’s a batch easier to inquire for help. Because erstwhile I went done it, it wasn’t. There was a large woody of shame associated with being an addict," helium said. "Nobody wants to admit they’re an addict. Your ego kicks in, ‘Screw you, I’m fine!’

"If you person a person that you’re disquieted about, speech to them. That’s No. 1. You’re the archetypal enactment of defense. Before family, it’s friends that volition cognize their buddies are not themselves. They’re not acting normally. If you are gambling, it’s hard to win. 

"So, bash it, bash it responsibly, earmark a liable magnitude of wealth towards it similar you would to spell to the movies oregon a Broadway show. If you win, great. Put immoderate of that wealth away. If you lose, don’t deliberation the reply is, ‘Well, fto maine stake myself retired of it.’ That’s erstwhile you commencement getting into trouble."

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