Craig Carton on new show sharing problem gamblers’ stories: ‘I’m not just paying lip service’

Since serving prison time in 2019 and 2020 following fraud convictions, Craig Carton has made quite the return to sports media prominence. The current co-host of FS1’s Breakfast Ball has been open throughout his return about how a gambling addiction led to his legal problems, and he’s been determined to help others facing similar addiction, both publicly and privately.

Beyond his private work with gambling addiction groups, Carton has been hosting weekly show Hello, My Name Is Craig on New York City’s WFAN since 2020. He’s also served as FanDuel’s responsible gaming ambassador since 2021.

As part of that latter role, Carton has now launched The Comeback With Craig Carton with FanDuel TV. That program will see him talk to those who have experienced gambling addiction and their families, amplify their stories, and raise awareness of support resources for individuals and families.

The show will air new episodes each month on FanDuel TV’s FanDuel Extra free advertising-supported streaming television channel and their YouTube channel. Carton recently spoke to Awful Announcing about this launch, and said sharing these stories of people affected by gambling addiction is key to breaking down the stigma around it.

“I’m really blessed to have been given a second opportunity and a career post-my own well-documented gambling struggles. Over the last five years, I’ve built with both WFAN and FanDuel a really amazing platform to share not just my story, but other lived experiences of fellow compulsive gamblers.

“I’ve found that the more we share our stories and we give people like myself a platform to share their stories, we’re able to destigmatize the addiction in a manner that’s never been done before. And I get great joy out of it, great satisfaction out of it.”

Carton said this work discussing gambling addiction and how to get help is a way for him to do something positive with the attention generated around his own struggles with gambling.

“I’m in a really interesting unique place where I, for lack of me wanting to be, I kind of became the poster child for compulsive gambling because of my daytime job. So it’s been really a very fulfilling partnership with FanDuel, obviously it started on the radio [with WFAN] with Hello, My Name Is Craig, and it’s now involved into this really great monthly video series that we’ll be doing with FanDuel. And it’s just really my opportunity to continue to pay it forward and continue to shine a light on what addiction looks like.”

He said gambling addiction can be particularly difficult for many to discuss because of how it’s widely seen.

“Unfortunately, gambling addiction comes with a dirty word in front of it, which is degenerate. And I’ve been trying to fight against that stigma because there’s a shame associated with it. So this is just the furthering of the work that FanDuel and I have done since 2021. And with their leadership and with their support, we’ve really made a difference in exposing what addiction looks like to people who otherwise would have no idea.”

For Carton, that “degenerate” label is particularly problematic, and it’s used to criticize those with gambling problems in a way it’s not for others experiencing addiction.

“I go back to the reality that an alcoholic is just referred to as an alcoholic, a drug addict is a drug addict, but for some reason gambling addicts are degenerates,” he said. “And that’s just not true. Gambling addicts are typically, stereotypically, extraordinarily bright people, successful people who went down the road they never saw coming.

“No one makes that first bet thinking ‘I’m gonna have a problem.’ It’s far down the line when the problem presents itself. And unfortunately, society doesn’t view us with any level of compassion at all.”

Breaking down that stigma is important for Carton. And he thinks sharing the stories of some of those impacted by gambling addiction can help show the mistakes they made, but also help others understand how they got there and help those who are currently struggling.

“Now, our addiction, our disease is self-inflicted. And we have to own that. We made bad decisions and then got to a point where we were uncontrollable in our desire to gamble irresponsibly.

“But it doesn’t make us bad people. It makes us flawed people. And I think the more we share stories, there will be somebody that I talked to on The Comeback that everyone can relate to. And hopefully, when we have this conversation let’s say a year from now, when we look back on what we’ve accomplished in the first year of this, we can look back with a level of pride and recognize that the people that were willing to share their stories helped somebody else.”

The lows Carton hit as a result of gambling addiction became quite public thanks to his profile and to the connected legal cases. He said while he isn’t thrilled with the amount of public attention his struggles received, it’s vital for him to use his profile and the second chance he’s received to work in media to give back and help others battling gambling addiction, because he wouldn’t be here without the help he’s received.

“I’d be dead or walking the streets right now if somebody didn’t reach out to help me. And I feel a great sense of responsibility, not just because I’ve gotten a job back, I was back on the radio, not because now I’m on TV and I have a national platform, not just because FanDuel and I have this great partnership where I’m their responsible gaming ambassador.

“But I’ve got a responsibility to the people that fought for me, that stayed in my corner, that never gave up faith that I’d someday figure it out and get myself right and start living a healthier lifestyle. Shame on me if I took that for granted or didn’t use my story and pay it back.

“Because, like I said, there’s about six to 10 people that never wavered in their belief in me, and saw me as as somebody who was sick, who needed help, and believed that once I got that help, that I would then go back to being the person that they first either fell in love with or created a friendship bond with that’s unbreakable. And I owe it to them as much as I owe it to myself.”

He said his personal story is also important for illustrating that there is a road back for those battling addiction.

“My story sadly played out quite publicly. And the fact that I’ve been able to overcome that and return to society, return to being a dad and a husband and all the things that are so important to me, that part of the story needs to be told too.”

But both Hello, My Name Is Craig and now The Comeback With Craig Carton are focused on sharing others’ stories. Carton said each of those stories matter, and they can all be helpful to those currently battling addiction.

“One of the things that’s a good reminder for me is that everybody I talk to on that show and now on The Comeback, while their specific experience might be different than mine, the amount of money they wagered might be different than mine, the type of wagering they did might be different than mine, we all have this great commonality. Which is hard to appreciate when you’re going through it, but coming up at the end of June, I’ll be seven years without gambling in any way, shape, or form.

“And even seven years into my recovery, I still pick out valuable lessons from hearing other people’s stories. And I think one of the great things that we’re able to do now with The Comeback on FanDuel TV is to widen the scope of who gets to hear these stories.”

Carton feels that getting more of these stories out there can also help destigmatize gambling addiction and make it easier for those struggling to seek help.

“One of the concerns I have for addicts, like myself, who are at step one of this journey that we’re all on, is that there’s a shame involved with it,” he said. “I truly believe the more we share lived experience stories and you hear from regular people, not people that are on TV and radio, but the mailman, the doctor, the lawyer, the teacher, the truck driver, it makes it easier for the next generation of problem gamblers to also raise their hand and ask for help.

“Because maybe they’ve heard about some type of personality, or they’ve heard an experience that someone else shared that they can relate to. And in relating to it, they now feel more comfortable to say, ‘Hey, that story I just heard, I can relate to what that guy just said. Maybe I’ve got an issue. How do I get help for it?’ And that’s really the end goal of this, that we allow people who do have a problem to recognize they have a problem and then ultimately pick up the phone and get help for that problem.”

Another element of The Comeback is that it’s not just about the individual battling gambling addiction, but also those affected by their decisions. The first episode features 11-year NBA veteran Randy Livingston and his wife Anita, with both discussing how his gambling addiction impacted their lives.

Sharing the stories of those close to those who have struggled with addiction is vital for Carton, as that helps illustrate the wider impacts this addiction can have.

“That’s really important,” he said. “No one ever thinks about the loved ones that we leave in our wake when we’re gambling uncontrollably or irresponsibly. So to hear Anita talk about what it was like for her to be the spouse of an addict, and to have to hire a private investigator to prove that what her gut told her was happening was really happening, I think we need to share those stories more as well.

“Because while the gambler is tunnel-visioned in the gamble, in the moment, until they hit rock bottom and then desperately ask for and need help, the whole time we’re gambling, we’re hurting the people that are closest to us. And I think having people like Anita, and others in upcoming episodes, share their stories of ‘What’s it like to live with a compulsive gambler? What’s it like to have a parent as a compulsive gambler?’, these are innocent people, many of whom don’t gamble at all, but have to deal with the repercussions of their spouse or loved one or friend or child who are gambling uncontrollably.

“Because it affects them first. So I thought her story was as powerful as any story of any of the gamblers that I’ve had on the radio show and ultimately will have on The Comeback as well.”

Carton said his overall goal is to help as many people as he can who are battling gambling addiction, whether that’s privately or through public shows like this.

“I spend most of my days, outside of being on FS1 or hosting Hello, My Name is Craig on WFAN, counseling young gamblers and their families. It’s a part of the fabric of my life now. So being able to do it on this amazing international platform is just going to help me reach more people.”

He said he recognizes the limitations he has, but thinks his personal experience offers value.

“I’m certainly not a therapist, I’m not educated in therapy or psychology. But I have an experience that gamblers that are struggling now can respect and relate to. And I try to use my story to help other people because I’m in a great position to do it.”

Carton thinks another part of what’s important to get across with shows like this that recovery from even extreme lows is possible.

“We don’t need to share only the negative,” he said. “People want to hear the gambling stories, ‘Yeah, you won a lot of money, you lost a lot of money.’ And I’ll share those stories without glorifying them. But I think if we’re going to be true to the recovery, it’s my responsibility to also share the good, that you can recover, you can get through this, you can beat this.

“With respect to the fact that board-certified doctors have acknowledged that this is a disease, it is a real addiction, no different than any other, I think we need to start being a little bit more respectful of the great loss that people have suffered and their desire to turn their lives around. And I’ll use my story until I’m six feet under to try to be a part of that conversation.”

Carton said any media move he makes like this is bound to take some criticism, but he thinks The Comeback is a highly worthwhile effort.

“It’s something I’m really, really proud of. I know FanDuel’s really proud of it. And I know that anything my name is associated with, there’s going to be a lot of really good reaction and there’s gonna be people that still want to bring me down and knock me down. And I’m fine with those people, I’ve come to terms with who I am and what I am.

“And if anyone took the time to take a look at how I spend my every day trying to be a better person and improve my community and help my community out, I’d like to think at some point if people looked at me objectively and honestly, they’d recognize that I’m not just paying lip service to it. I’m actively doing it. And I’m very proud to have FanDuel as a partner in that, and obviously Audacy and WFAN, which gave me the initial platform back.

“But this is just an extension of all of that. And again, people can say what they want. But if you take a minute out of your day to look at what we’re doing, we’re doing it to help other people. And there’s no greater cause in life than that.”

More details on The Comeback with Craig Carton and links to episodes, plus resources for those facing gambling addiction, can be found on the show’s Substack page.