HBO released a documentary about the infamous free-fall of Craig Carton on October 7th. The network had released a trailer for the documentary, which spurred debates within the gambling sector. Although everyone was pretty much familiar with Craig Carton and his 2017 arrest, what was evident was the many inconsistencies and suspicion written all over the story and how HBO portrayed it. What’s more, the reappearance of Craig after serving about a year in prison for what was a 3½ year sentence for fraud seemed to have stormed the gambling media. After all, Carton was a popular radio talk host with more than a decade in the industry, and the widely distributed trailer did great numbers leading up to the Oct. 7th release. Even so, this wasn’t enough to mask some of the inconsistencies that pundits instantly noticed, and to date, not everyone is buying into the story.
Craig Carton: The Blackjack Whisperer
Craig graduated from Syracuse University in 1991 with a bachelor's in broadcast journalism and hit the ground running. He worked in various stations, including Cleveland, Denver, Philadelphia and New York, but was famously known for the WFAN’s Boomer and Carton show hosted alongside Boomer Esiason. On September 6th 2017, Craig’s co-host Boomer joked that the radio talk host was a “numbnuts” who called in sick. However, as news about what happened emerged, he quickly confirmed that Craig had been arrested. It was later learnt that the FBI arrested Craig on charges of fraud. A lot transpired after his arrest, including various court visits, and Craig would later be sentenced to 42 months in Prison in 2019. However, the radio presenter would resurface one year after his sentencing amidst a widely anticipated HBO documentary titled Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth. The documentary sought to dive into Carton's gambling life and featured clips of him boasting about how he took $10,000 of his partner's money and flipped it to $80,000, making him the Blackjack Whisperer.
Inconsistencies in the Craig Carton Gambling Documentary
The Craig Carton story is one that most people have taken with a grain of salt, mainly because of the widespread inconsistencies and boastful claims that don’t seem to reflect any truth. Everything fell apart when HBO released a trailer showing $1 million worth of gambling cash stuffed in a bag. However, what didn't elude many gambling experts was that Carton claimed to have borrowed more than $30 million to gamble with. "Who were his backers?" was the first question everyone wanted to know. Here are two huge suspicions are drawn from the story.
Inflated Gambling Debt – Craig claimed to borrow more than $30 million and spent it to fuel his gambling activities, but no one is ready to believe that. No one in their right mind would believe that one man is capable of beating the casino at blackjack over the long haul, or even in a week. What's more, Craig was ordered to pay back about $5 million in restitution to those he borrowed from.
No Reason for Borrowing – If Craig had a simple formula for beating casinos at blackjack as regularly as he claims, it is hard to find any reason he'd involve anyone else in his exploits. Based on the narrative presented, it makes little sense that he would need other people backing him. After all, he had a proven method to beat the casino and easily flipped a few thousand into massive payouts.
Why Carton’s Return Was ‘Good for Business’
It is easy to understand why the media and other outlets were sympathetic in their approach to Craig Carton's story. Craig's return to radio as an ex-convict meant new interviews and big numbers. Modern sports radio shows are immersed in gambling ads that promise millions for spare change. There are more gambling sites not on GamStop today than ever before, and players have several ways around any exclusion schemes and restrictions used to control the industry. The radios are obviously only interested in maximizing advertising revenue and less concerned about the fate of punters who spend their hard-earned money chasing a life-changing moment. Although Craig is yet to be a free man, he is no longer in prison and can appear in interviews and shows to renew his gambling affiliations. The HBO show was also a great start to help him get back to his feet in the wake of a $5 million restitution mandate.
Key Takeaways from the Carton’s Story
It is almost a year since HBO released the Wild Card documentary, and Craig is back in Sport talk shows, which matters most to those in control of the radio business. His reappearance was good for business, and the documentary offered a perfect medium to push some narratives, even if they seemed faltered. The story has echoes of classic British comedy, mixing drama with moments of dark humour. Craig might have borrowed a lot of money and used it in gambling. However, his success rate and the total borrowed amount definitely draw suspicions. It is impossible to beat the casino regularly at any game, let alone blackjack. Moreover, if Craig was genuinely great at blackjack, he would have been out of debt from the casino payouts. If you play casino games regularly, it is vital not to get carried away by the documentary. Gambling can result in compulsive behaviour and isn't worth getting into debt or committing fraud to satisfy the addiction.