A new FanDuel-sponsored podcast/YouTube show focused on problem gambling, “The Comeback with Craig Carton,” launched Monday. The first episode sees Carton (whose credits include “The Carton Show” on FS1 and “Carton and Roberts” on WFAN in New York) interview 11-year NBA veteran Randy Livingston and his wife, Anita Smith, about the gambling problem that followed Livingston during his playing career.
“We aim to amplify real stories of those who have experienced the highs and the lows of gambling addiction. break down the stigma, the support and resources, and show you more than anything else that recovering is possible,” Carton says.
Episode 2 is already in production, per a FanDuel spokesperson. Livingston, who played for nine teams from 1996-2007, is candid about his struggles.
“I was definitely the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and over again,” Livingston said. “I would go the route of being an NBA journeyman, get a 10-day contract, make it, make good enough money to continue to stack every year, but every summer I did the same thing. I trained really hard the first month after the season, the next month I lived like you would normally live, have a little fun, then I would go to the casino until the end of the summer. Whatever I earned the previous year, I lost it all. My working was trying to get more money to gamble.”
Livingston says he is now eight years sober from gambling.
Per a FanDuel release, new episodes of The Comeback With Craig Carton will air monthly on Mondays at 10 am ET on FanDuel’s FAST channel FanDuel TV Extra and stream on FanDuel’s YouTube channel.
“Our hope for The Comeback With Craig Carton is to raise awareness of problem gambling and foster open dialogue to tackle the stigma that still exists today,” FanDuel’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Sustainability Cory Fox said in a statement. “Whether those conversations are amongst friends, spouses, parents or coaches, we want to educate our audience on what the warning signs are and be comfortable asking for help.”
Raising awareness of problem gambling doesn’t seem to be much of a problem. Anyone who has seen a sports-talk show sponsored by a gambling company has likely heard a disclaimer for those who need help breaking their gambling addiction.
Going beyond awareness, and teaching actual addicts how to recognize and talk about their addiction, would be a meaningful goal for the new show. Carton has been a “responsible gaming ambassador” for FanDuel for four years, making plenty of public appearances on the company’s behalf in the meantime.
It’s idealistic to hope that The Comeback would penetrate mainstream consciousness as much as the self-appointed ambassadors who only trumpet their victories on FanDuel and other online platforms. But it’s a start.
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