Trump Travel Bans, Nikola Jokic, and DJ King Charles III | Ep. 37

A gambler threatening to hunt down a tennis player's family. College athletes betting on themselves. A single Cheeto selling for $90,000. Welcome to the wild, sometimes disturbing world of gambling that exists beyond the glossy commercials and celebrity endorsements.

Norman Chad dives deep into the darker corners of sports betting this week, examining how legalized gambling brings both entertainment and significant risks. Through several troubling examples – including two Fresno State basketball players caught wagering on their own performances and a French tennis player who received death threats from a desperate bettor – the episode highlights why stronger regulations may be needed, particularly around college athletics. 

Chapters

• 0:18 Trump's Tesla and Political News
• 1:15 Gambling's Existential Threat
• 2:48 College Athletes Betting Scandal
• 6:22 Tennis Player Receives Death Threat
• 7:38 Trump Tittle Tattle Segment
• 9:00 Historical Facts: Lincoln & Booth
• 12:07 Nikola Jokic Basketball Analysis
• 14:53 Norman's Poker Questions Answered
• 16:15 The $90K Cheeto Auction Story
• 20:02 King Charles' Music Playlist
• 21:32 No More Dynasties Closing Rant

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

President Trump said he plans to buy a Tesla as a show of confidence for Elon Musk. Sources inside the White House indicate, however, that after his display of public support, the president will trade in the Tesla the next day for a Cadillac Escalade. Norman Chad Norman Chad. Welcome to Gambling Mad with Norman Chad. I am Norman Chad, coming up on the program today.

Speaker 1: 0:35

A tennis player gets a death threat from a gambler. I don't like the sound of that. King Charles III has his own Apple Music special. I don't like the sound of that. King Charles III has his own Apple Music special. I don't like the sound of that. And I answer 10 important poker questions. I don't even like the sound of that Gambling Mad as always brought to you by Fritos Picked fresh off of Central California trees every morning, delivered directly to your local retailer every afternoon, and by the refreshing taste of Fresca Fritos and Fresca. It's a meal.

Speaker 1: 1:15

Gambling could be a bigger existential threat to America than climate change. Now, I don't necessarily believe that, but as a passive, aggressive gambling advocate, I know the damage it can cause. The name of this show is Gambling Mad, but I don't want to sit here every week and be a Debbie Downer about the world of gambling and trust me I could. Every week, several items come to my attention that do not reflect well on the sports betting or gambling worlds. I'm going to relate a couple of those items momentarily, but the thing is that we're in the same place that we were when I started Gambling Mad, only a little worse.

Speaker 1: 2:03

Gambling should be legal, but we need to be vigilant in protecting ourselves and our friends and family to make sure the pursuit does not become destructive. Gambling should be legal, but most people probably shouldn't gamble. One, you're going to lose. Two, it can become addictive. It seems to me we just got to get smarter about it. I hate to restrict any freedoms of the marketplace, but just as we regulate where cigarettes can be sold or advertised, it's time to consider the same with sports betting. Many of its promotions and commercials are deceptive. We might have to govern a bit right there. And do we really want 14-year-olds exposed to the lure of wagering money on sporting contests? We don't think they have the judgment or maturity yet at that tender age to be able to vote. So why would we think they have the judgment or maturity to decide whether or not to risk their allowance on Celtics plus four and a half. So let's take a moment. Let's take a step back and find a solution. We'll talk about some of those solutions, hopefully, in the weeks coming up.

Speaker 1: 3:22

Okay, right off the top, I've already put myself in a foul mood. It felt a little Debbie Downer-ish. Before we get to some less than savory gambling tales, let me lighten up our spirits by repeating once again one of my favorite gambling jokes. A bettor is talking to his friend man, I just had the worst week ever. I lost all ten football games, I bet. I lost all seven basketball games, I bet. And I lost all five soccer games, I bet. The friend tells him well, there's a hockey game tonight. The better says what do I know about hockey? Don't have to repeat it for you to get it, you get it.

Speaker 1: 4:08

Two Fresno State men's basketball players are under investigation for betting on their own performances on daily sports fantasy sites. According to ESPN's David Purdom, sources indicate that junior forward Mikel Robinson allegedly wagered on the under on his points and rebounds in more than one game, and senior guard Jalen Weaver told ESPN he bet on the over for his point total in a game against New Mexico. Weaver bet $50 on the fancy site Sleeper that he would score more than 11 points. He scored 13 to win the bet. The NCAA prohibits student athletes from any type of sports betting or fantasy prop betting, and this situation highlights one of the regulatory adjustments to consider in terms of legalized sports betting. Perhaps there should be no prop betting whatsoever on college athletics. Imagine the pressure on an 18 or a 19-year-old playing a game, with sports bettors in the arena shouting obscenities toward them if their wagers are not working out. Also, college athletes younger and less financially stable than professional athletes are much more susceptible to being approached by bettors to do the wrong thing. Hey, when I was an impressionable, bushy-haired sophomore at the University of Maryland earning $10 an article for the student newspaper, you think I wouldn't have grabbed the big bucks if someone asked me to fix a story in their favor. I would have gone from Kenny Rogers Roasters to Peter Luger's Steakhouse in a heartbeat. Here's another distressing story from our gambling files.

Speaker 1: 6:07

A French tennis player got a death threat on Instagram before a match in France recently on the ATP Challenger Tour. According to Tennis World, arthur Bookier received the following message before his opening match against Germany's Florian Broska and folks, you'll want to hear this From Instagram. Here is the message. Today you're playing against Florian Broska, ranked 522nd, who never wins in the first round. I hope you make the effort to beat him in two sets because I have 2,000 euros on you to win in two sets. I swear, if you lose, I will never forgive you. I will track you and your family down just to hurt you, because if I lose these 2,000 euros I'll be out on the streets. So my life won't make sense anymore. I might as well spend my days in prison. I swear on my mother's life that I will come after you. Right now I am at the court where you'll be playing at 1520. Be careful, these are not empty threats. Good luck. A tennis match obviously should not be a life or death situation, but when gambling as recreation turns into a bad gambling habit, the downside can be devastating. Oh yeah, booker won his match in two sets 6-3, 6-4, so he survived to the second round.

Speaker 1: 7:38

Time for Trump Tittle Tattle All the latest news about our financially and morally bankrupt 47th president. Cue the music Do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do. President Trump is set to announce a new travel ban which would bar people from Afghanistan and Pakistan from entering the United States. The president will consider exemptions for Afghan and Pakistani women who are hot. When you're a star, they let you do it. President Trump said that Greenland would become part of the USA. Quote one way or another. Personally, I hope it's one way and not the other. And President Trump said he plans to buy a Tesla as a show of confidence for Elon Musk. Sources inside the White House indicate, however, that after his display of public support, the president will trade in the Tesla the next day for a Cadillac Escalade. And that is Trump tittle-tattle for this week.

Speaker 1: 8:46

Sometimes we are here to entertain Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do, and sometimes we are here to educate. It is time to educate my friends by relating a little-known, hard-to-believe historical fact, courtesy of HistoryFactscom. In April 1865, actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater. Would you believe that A year or so before that, edwin Booth, older brother of John Wilkes Booth and also an actor, saved the life of Lincoln's son, robert Todd? One brother saves the life of the president's son. The other brother takes the life of the president, robert Todd. Lincoln had fallen off a crowded train platform in Jersey City, new Jersey, as a train departed. He was in the path of an oncoming train, personally helpless, as he later wrote, when Edwin Booth reached down, grabbed him by the coat collar and pulled him up to safety. Postscript to this story the day after his brother assassinated the president, edwin Booth vowed never to return to the stage. It was a short-lived promise, however. He played the title role in Hamlet the following year. Kind of hard to turn down, hamlet huh. Thank you for that nugget, historyfactscom.

Speaker 1: 10:22

By the way, during last week's podcast I wondered who the last bearded president was. No one here knew this week two Gambling Mad staff members, and we only have two Gambling Mad staff members called in sick, so they would not have to research this hard-to-find information. Hey, I've been under the weather since 1997, and I still did this research. As it turns out, abraham Lincoln was our first bearded president. There have only been five, and none in the 20th or 21st centuries. So after Lincoln, ulysses Grant was the next US president with a beard, then Rutherford B Hayes, then James Garfield and finally the most recent bearded president in office from 1889 to 1893, benjamin Harrison. Sadly, due to poor American public education, this means I now know only three things about Mr Harrison. One, he actually lost the popular vote to Grover Cleveland, but he won the electoral college. Two, he was the grandson of the ninth president, william Henry Harrison Don't get me started on political dynasties. And three I now know he had a beard. Fyi, rick Barrio-Dill and Asher Friedberg were the two gambling mad staffers who declined to assist me with any research on this. We certainly wish them well in all their future endeavors.

Speaker 1: 12:08

I come today to celebrate Nikola Jokic yet again. How much do I love this guy. I feel like I'm on his payroll now. Heaven knows, I need to be on someone's payroll sooner or later. We told you a few weeks ago to bet on him to be NBA MVP because of the plus 300 odds, but it still appears Shea Gilgis-Alexander will win it. But I will not stop honoring the Joker.

Speaker 1: 12:41

The other night he became the first player in NBA history to produce 30 plus rebounds, 20 plus excuse me 30 plus points, 20 plus rebounds and 20 plus assists in a single game. He is likely to become the third player ever after Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook, to average a triple-double for the entire season. At the moment, jokic is averaging 28.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.5 assists a game. He is third in the NBA in points per game, third in rebounds and second in assists. He would become the first NBA player to finish in the top three in those three categories. He's also in my top three favorite NBA players Jokic Janic and Steph Curry. I love their high level of play, their detail to the game, their sportsmanship and how they carry themselves off the court. And the Nuggets' 6'11 Serbian-born center is the least likely of these three to be a Hall of Famer. He looks like he's about to fall down with every step. He looks like he has a runny nose. He can't shake. He looks like he's out of breath just moving his body. And Jokic appears to move in slow motion with the ball in his possession, yet he always gets to where he is going. Shea, congrats If you win the MVP, you deserve it. Nikola, congrats on being such a wonder to watch night in and night out.

Speaker 1: 14:25

All right, let's talk a little poker. You know I cut my teeth playing the game, playing heads up Raz against Puggy Pearson in a smoky backroom in a Lubbock Texas dive bar back in the early 1960s. So I've seen a thing or three. Here are some of the most frequent questions I am asked. I will answer each of them briefly.

Speaker 1: 14:53

One should computer-generated solvers be allowed to be used while playing? No. Should poker tournaments permit multiple or unlimited re-entry no. Should you three-bet with ace-king from late position? No. Should people who cheat online be allowed to play in live poker rooms? No. Should people who cheat in live poker games be allowed to play online? No. Should we continue to treat women terribly at the poker table? No. Should poker hall of famers be the ones voting on who gets into the poker hall of fame? No, no, no, no. And finally, should anyone ever ask me for a photograph while I'm in the middle of a hand? Sure, of course, I love taking photos with anyone and everyone.

Speaker 1: 16:15

Buckle up, folks. We have reached D-Gen's gonna D-Gen. Yeah, how much would you pay for a Cheeto? Actually, I'm talking about a Cheeto's cheese puff and, in particular, I'm speaking of a flaming hot Cheeto that bears an uncanny resemblance to Charizard, one of Pokemon's most beloved characters. This dragon-shaped, one-of-a-kind single snack ended up getting auctioned by Golden Auction House. The backstory on this is ridiculous. So grab yourself a fresca and some Fritos. So grab yourself a Fresca and some Fritos. Pull up a chair and take a listen.

Speaker 1: 17:00

A fellow by the name of Paul Bartlett owns a sports memorabilia and trading card shop in Hickory Flat, georgia. He was a Pokemon fan and in 2019, he saw a listing on eBay for this orange Charizard lookalike, which already had been named Cheetosard. He paid $350 for it and received it in a plastic encasement, put it away, forgot about it for a while. In 2024, he posted a photo of Cheetosard on Instagram and could not believe the overwhelming reaction. It seemed to hold some actual value. A friend of Bartlett's saw it in his shop a while later and offered to make a custom case to protect Bartlett's investment. And so he did.

Speaker 1: 17:56

Bartlett then found a buyer on eBay for Cheetosard for $10,000. But he canceled the sale because eBay would not let him hand deliver it. Even with the custom case, bartlett didn't want to risk shipping the fragile Cheeto. Still, bartlett did end up selling Cheeto Zard for $10,000 at a trade show in Atlanta to an online site specializing in trading cards. The site then had a promotion with a mystery prize package which included Cheeto Zard, allowing an individual to obtain it for only $250. You still with me? This person then put Cheetosard up for auction with Golden during one of their pop culture auctions. Bartlett got word of this and realized he was going to be sick to his stomach if somehow it sold for a lot more than the $10,000 that he had received Folks.

Speaker 1: 18:57

Okay, please remember the key thing. Here we're talking about a single Cheetos cheese puff. In a protective case, the bidding started at $18,000. When it was all over, the final winning bid $72,000 plus 16K in fees. That's nearly $90,000 for a single Flamin' Hot Cheetos Puff the buyer will never eat. Fyi, I'm still sticking with Cheez-Its. I'm still sticking with Cheez-Its.

Speaker 1: 19:37

Before we wrap up, I'm going to say this one time and one time only. He's the King of England and I don't want to hear a damn thing. He has to say as usual, I'm S-O-L. King Charles III is now a DJ of sorts. I can't get a job in radio and this guy is spinning tunes on Apple Charles. Is it okay if I call him Charles? Charles is the host of an Apple Music special called the King's Music Room, in which he plays and talks about his favorite songs.

Speaker 1: 20:19

You know, one of the reasons I was thrilled to learn that we left the British Empire in 1776 is so I wouldn't ever have to follow the king's orders. Whatever the British royals are eating, I don't want. Whatever the British royals are preaching, I don't care. So do I want to know what King Charles is grooving to. Well, he did have to wait 70 years to ascend to the throne. So maybe he listened to a lot of good music in his spare time. Among the songs he picked Bob Marley's Could you Be Loved, diana Ross's Upside Down, michael Buble's Haven't Met you Yet and Beyonce's Crazy in Love. Not bad, I guess, though I might have considered moving into Buckingham Palace if he had included Peg by Steely Dan. That will do it for another edition of Gambling Mad with Norman Chad. Hope to see you next time and remember, if you're going to roll the dice, make sure they're loaded.

Speaker 1: 21:27

I remember learning in college about the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. The same family ruled China for nearly 800 years. This was a long, long time ago, pre-espn, and though they did a lot of good, the lesson I took from that was no more dynasties. Yet just in my lifetime, we have seen political dynasty after political dynasty in America, starting with the Kennedys. Their game has always been more progeny, more power.

Speaker 1: 21:59

But I say no more dynasties. Then there were the Clintons, bill and Hillary, probably Chelsea no more dynasties. Then the Bushes, george the Elder, george the Younger and Jeb no more dynasties. But now, oh my goodness, it's bad enough. We have suffered and somehow survived. The Rockefellers and the Carnegies and the Vanderbilts and the Kardashians, but now we're in the midst of a family that combines all of their capitalistic, imperialistic vices, the mother of all modern day inhuman horrors, the Trumps, donald J, don Jr and Ivanka at least Eric doesn't count and eventually Barron. So run for cover, run for the hills or run for the border, because this multi-generational grab-em-by-the-f*** and grift-em-by-the-booty bloodline has no end in sight. Unless a greater power can hear me. No more dynastiesies, or I will go gambling mad.

Speaker 2: 23:08

Gambling Mad with Norman Chad is written by Norman Chad and Ghosts, written by Norman Chad. Executive producers are John Scheinberg and Rick Barriodil, produced by Norman Chad and Rick Barriodil. Executive producers are john scheinberg and rick barrio dill, produced by norman chad and rick barrio dill. Our associate producers are brie coorey and asher friedberg, and edited by asher friedberg, with studio facilities at 360 pod studios, beverly hills.