Jared Isaacman, Stephen A. Smith, and Fox Sports | Ep. 44

Norman Chad tackles the dark side of America's gambling industry, highlighting predatory practices by major sportsbooks and revealing the surprising connection between Trump's NASA nominee and bounced checks at Trump casinos. We explore how the industry targets problem gamblers while facing mounting legal challenges from individuals, cities, and potentially Congress.

Chapters

• 0:00 Gambling Mad Intro
• 1:41 The Problem Gambling Industry Crisis
• 5:16 Trump's NASA Pick's Casino Troubles
• 7:38 Parents Gambling, Kids in Cars
• 10:54 RFK Jr's Knowledge Gaps
• 11:47 Immigration & Border Commentary
• 13:45 Sexual Misconduct at Fox Sports
• 17:12 The Kentucky Derby & Journalism
• 19:06 The NFL Draft Conspiracy Theory
• 22:36 Population Growth Concerns

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

He also has been sued by four casinos for passing bad checks, according to court filings obtained by USA Today, and two of those casinos and you cannot make this stuff up, folks. Okay, two of those casinos where he passed bad checks were Trump properties. Norman Chad, norman Chad. Welcome to Gambling Mad with Norman Chad. Tragically, I remain Norman Chad Coming up on the program today. The next head of NASA has gambling on his mind, stephen A Smith has NFL collusion on his mind and everyone at Fox Sports has sex on their mind. Gambling Mad as always, brought to you by Fritos Picked fresh off of Central California trees every morning, 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. Draft Kings and FanDuel have about 80% of the US sports betting market. They are cash cows their top executives don't even speak anymore.

Speaker 1: 1:31

They just go moo moo. So there's no reason for DraftKings or FanDuel to listen to me. Heck, I last made a sports wager when Ronald Reagan was in the White House. But I would tell them this and they should listen If you don't want your palaces of profit to come crashing down, I would do more, I would be very proactive, to prevent problem gambling. Problem gambling remains the Achilles heel of the industry. Draftkings and FanDuel have to stop targeting the most vulnerable those who are addicted, those who are in debt, those who are underage or the long arm of the law might just ban all of their activity. Sure, nearly 40 states now have legalized sports betting, but a backlash could revert some of that promised land in the sports books to scorched earth. A New Jersey woman is suing DraftKings after her husband lost nearly $1 million, lured by the company's promotional offers offers. Congress now is considering the Safe Bet Act, which would restrict gambling advertisements during games and eliminate the supposedly risk-free wager promotions that give you money if your first bet loses. Let's just stop right there with that. If a sportsbook says bet $100 with us, if you win, you keep the money, if you lose, we'll put another $100 into your account, what should that tell you they are banking on the fact that you will eventually lose that money and more. They want your business so badly they're willing to give you a free $100 to start. It's like when you're looking for an apartment and you find that listing that says first month rent free. That should be a red flag. That apartment is not going to be on Madison Avenue. You're lucky if it has a running water and a refrigerator. Besides, individuals now and the federal government starting to come after the sportsbooks, now the city of Baltimore has spoken. Baltimore, yeah, baltimore, largest city in Maryland. Maryland, you may recall, is on the Mount Rushmore of states. Baltimore is suing DraftKings and FanDuel, accusing the companies of engaging in predatory practices by targeting compulsive gamblers. Frankly, I believe I don't think the lawsuit's probably winnable. I think it's largely symbolic. I don't think the city of Baltimore can win this in court, but it's putting the sportsbooks on notice to change their marketing tactics. Perhaps DraftKings and FanDuel simply consider these legal challenges as the cost of doing business and will continue on their merry way to the bank. I hope they don't. We have enough problems out there without destroying families and bankrupting homes via gambling. You know, sometimes in the movies we get the so-called hooker with a heart a la Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Is it possible, off the big screen, we could get the sports book with a heart? I'm an idiot. Who am I kidding that ain't going to happen. Idiot who am I kidding that ain't going to happen? D-gen's going to D-Gen. Case number one.

Speaker 1: 5:16

President Trump's choice to run NASA is 42-year-old Jared Isaacman. Isaacman is founder of Shift Plus Four Payments, a payment processor. He is a pilot and a commercial astronaut with close ties to Elon Musk. He also has been sued by four casinos for passing bad checks, according to court filings obtained by USA Today and two of those casinos and you cannot make this stuff up, folks, okay. Two of those casinos where he passed bad checks were Trump properties. He was sued by Trump Plaza in Atlantic City in 2008,. According to Reuters. He was sued by Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City in 2009 for passing four bad checks totaling $1 million. He later settled with the casino for $650,000. Isaacman also was sued by and settled with, mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut in 2010 for another four bad checks totaling $1 million.

Speaker 1: 6:21

When asked about the bad checks at his Senate confirmation hearing, isaacman said the legal matters reference were, in fact, forms of negotiation and were all resolved promptly. Do we have a laugh track we can throw in there? I love this guy. You bounce a check and that is, quote unquote, a form of negotiation here. Let me give you this check. That's no good. Now how much, how much do I owe you that you think you can get from me? That's what we're talking about this guy. That's how he operates. But in an administration full of of sexual adulterers and serial sexual harassers and serial crooks and cabinet members who shoot their dog, jared Isaacman fits right in. Honestly, he's just a minor league offender. All he does is gamble, lose, not pay what he's lost and then negotiate a smaller number than he owes. You know, if we did that with the national debt, wouldn't we eventually wipe out the national debt? I think he's onto something. D-gen's going to D-Gen.

Speaker 1: 7:38

Case number two when I was taking gambling classes back as a youngster, there were two rules they pounded home. There were two rules they pounded home. One don't borrow money to gamble. And two don't leave your kids in the car while you gamble. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board routinely places individuals on its so-called involuntary exclusion list a fancy way to say you are banned from gambling within the state.

Speaker 1: 8:10

Recently, four men who left children unattended in vehicles while gambling were added to this blacklist. One man did it twice, first leaving a 3-year-old and a 12-year-old in a vehicle at Rivers Casino, philadelphia, a parking lot, while gambling for nine minutes. He then did the same thing at the same casino, again this time abandoning two 14-year-olds for nine minutes. He then did the same thing at the same casino, again this time abandoning two 14-year-olds for 10 minutes. Another parent left three children ages eight, 11, and 13, in a vehicle in the Presque Isle Downs and Casino parking lot in Erie for 10 minutes while visiting the sportsbook. The most egregious case was a man leaving a two-year-old, an 11-year-old and a 12-year-old in a vehicle at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Racecourse parking garage for two hours and six minutes Two hours and six minutes while playing table games. Maybe the two-year-old needed new shoes and it took this fella quite a while to table games. Maybe the two-year-old needed new shoes and it took this fella quite a while to get them, you know?

Speaker 1: 9:15

On a more positive note, it does make me recall that when I was a kid, like 9, 10, 11 years old, my father used to take me out when he was running his errands. I loved to do that and, you know, once in a while he would leave me in the car. In fact, I remember what he used to do is we might go to the drugstore and there was a sale on you know, six packs of Coca-Cola, and he'd tell me I'll be right back, and the sale, though, had a limit of four. So he'd go in, you know, he'd run back out, he'd have the four-packs of Coca-Cola, he'd put them in the back seat and said just a moment, I'll be right back, norman. And then he'd put on sunglasses and a fishing cap and he'd go back into the drugstore and purchase another four six-packs of Coca-Cola, just a limit of four. And then he'd come back out and he'd put them in the back seat and go I'll just be one more minute out. And he put him in the back seat and go I'll just be one more minute. And actually, this time he would go into the trunk. He would put on a jacket for another disguise, go back in and buy another four, six packs of Coca-Cola.

Speaker 1: 10:19

Now, frankly, I don't know if he had to go through all that Back in that day. There were three or four registers. He can just go to a different register each time if there's a limit of four, I don't think anyone really cared. A different register each time if there's a limit of four? I don't think anyone really cared. I just thought it was embarrassing. I was embarrassed for him, I was embarrassed for me, I was embarrassed for my family that he would do that. You know, and then you know, time flies by and things change and I started doing that as an adult. So I was even better than him. I had better disguises. Sometimes I would go in with a pronounced limp and I'd go in limina two, limina four, fine, bang, come back out, bang, come back out, bang, come back out. I'm not proud of it. That's my family.

Speaker 1: 11:04

We now bring you a new recurring segment which I believe is self-explanatory. What RFK Jr does not know. Number one most vaccines are safe and effective. Number two there is no link between vaccines and autism. Number three groping the family babysitter in the kitchen is generally frowned upon. And number four this week, on what RFK Jr does not know, a 14-year heroin habit does not qualify most people to run the Department of Health and Human Services. What RFK Jr does not know new regular feature of the program President Trump continues to herald the closing of the southern border, stopping the flow of illegal aliens into the United States, but sadly, we are targeting the wrong problem and turning a blind eye to the real problem.

Speaker 1: 12:13

Let's go over to our Gambling Mad national map to explore this in more detail. All of our attention is focused here. This is stupid. We need these people to take the jobs the rest of us won't. Who's going to pick the strawberries? Who's going to clean our homes? Who's going to take our orders at Del Taco?

Speaker 1: 12:39

Meanwhile, I live in Southern California, near the Pacific Ocean. Every day I see boatloads of illegal Asian immigrants just pulling up on our shores. They come loaded with electronics and calculators and advanced degrees and they're taking all the good jobs. A lot of them also can play poker, and that affects my bottom line. We need to focus on the border crisis in California. All right, let's take a look at the weather in the Southwest On Sunday going to be 212 degrees. In Phoenix it's going to be a hot one. The city will be evacuated. I suggest that all displaced residents make their way over to Southern California and get on those boats and take them back to Asia. Traffic and weather on the fives all weekend. Back to the desk.

Speaker 1: 13:45

Espn talking head Shannon Sharp is facing sexual assault allegations. The former NFL star was at Fox Sports for seven years, co-hosting Undisputed with Skip Bayless, which raises the question with all the history of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct at Fox News and Fox Sports, how does anyone over there ever have time to produce news and sports programming and sports programming? Just in the last decade, here is the rap sheet. At Fox News, ceo Roger Ailes was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women. Host Bill O'Reilly settled five lawsuits involving sexual misconduct before being dismissed. Anchor Ed Henry was fired after allegations of sexual assault by a producer, sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson. Both were named in the same lawsuit by a Fox reporter for sexual harassment. At Fox Sports, executive Charlie Dixon faces two lawsuits, one for sexual battery and another for sexual assault.

Speaker 1: 14:52

Skip Bayless is alleged to offer the hairstylist there $1.5 million for sex. Joy Taylor is named in the same lawsuit and is alleged to have had an intimate relationship with executive Charlie Dixon. And then there is Shannon Sharp, by the way. $1.5 million for sex, that's got to be the top of the market. No, I think, skip. You know if, skip, if he's really going to have the woman convince the woman to have relations with him of some type. I think he could have gone away with like 75 grand 1.5 million alleged. We'll see how that works out.

Speaker 1: 15:37

Anyway, when I'm watching FS1 or ESPN now, I don't even listen to what anyone is saying anymore. I'm just trying to figure out who is sleeping with who and who is trying to sleep with who, and sometimes sometimes I'll even play matchmaker in my head, which is kind of difficult to do when you're watching the NFL draft on ESPN and you're looking at Mel Kuyper for three straight days. Fyi and this is an important FYI I am proud of our record here on Gambling Mad with Norman Chad. I have never been accused of sexual misconduct, though some observers claim I foster a toxic, perhaps over-demanding, workplace. Hey, hey, hey, hey. A blow on water here in my mug. Where's the water boy? And how come everybody on staff is a tattooed DEI hire.

Speaker 1: 16:41

I am tired of this BS, bs on a stick. I am tired of this BS, bs on a stick Production. If we maybe just cut most of that out and just move on to the next topic, that might help. Oh, yeah, I'll cut that, Norm. This is what I'm dealing with. Doesn't that sound sarcastic to you.

Speaker 1: 17:17

The Kentucky Derby is this weekend. I will not watch it as part of my stance that took too long to manifest, in which I am against any and all use of animals for sports or entertainment purposes. Greyhound racing, dog shows, cockfighting, sled dog racing, bullfighting, polo fishing, hunting and even the circus. What you think elephants like? Bouncing on small platforms for no pay, I understand my position makes me an animal rights activist, wildlife woke and the beta of all betas. I don't care, it's the right position. We don't ask them if they want to do what they do. I'm tired of us doing this stuff for human entertainment and human betting needs. Anyway, if I were watching the Kentucky Derby I would be rooting for the favorite, a California horse by the name of Journalism yes, journalism. Journalism's owner, aaron Wellman, once was sports editor at the Beverly Hills High School newspaper. He says he always has been a huge fan of journalists and journalism. So I will overlook Mr Wellman's moneyed roots and Beverly Hills privilege and insistence on perpetuating the horrors of horse racing just this one time and root for journalism from afar. Because journalism needs a win, we'll take it wherever we can find one.

Speaker 1: 18:52

Generally I keep family business off the podcast. On occasion I might mention that I love my wife, toni. On occasion I might mention that I really love my pit bull mix, blue. By the way, tony thinks Blue is number one and she is number two. This is not true. They are one and one A. Anyway, this week I feel compelled to briefly acknowledge one disturbing family development. You want to know how dumb my cousin Jerry is. He just paid to get an upgrade on his burial plot at the cemetery to Mountain View. He's going to be six feet under, plus they bury you, I believe, without your prescription eyeglasses and he's forking out extra cash for a mountain view. That's all I wanted. That on the record. Just wanted to out Jerry as the dumbest of my flesh and blood and, believe me, that is a very competitive category.

Speaker 1: 20:03

Before we wrap up, I'm going to say this one time and one time only Stephen A Smith, to use his own words, is a damn disgrace. The ESPN shit talk master, who is already running for president in what must be the eighth sign of the apocalypse, was very upset that Colorado quarterback Shador Sanders was not selected in the NFL draft until the fifth round. So he told us that someone texted him a message that read. This is a bad look for the NFL. This feels like Colin Kaepernick collusion. And Stephen A then said that they're absolutely correct. This is page two of the Stephen A Smith playbook. He relays a notion that somebody else has offered out there so that clears him of culpability, of the origin of thought. And then he tells you, you know, maybe it's true thought. And then he tells you, you know, maybe it's true. In this case, with zero evidence. He tosses out the idea that 30-plus NFL teams colluded in not drafting Shador Sanders. How exactly would that have worked? Stephen A, a league-wide Zoom call A Signal texting thread. Zoom call A signal texting threat. Adam Schefter passing on information to all 32 GMs.

Speaker 1: 21:38

The volume of irresponsible and inflammatory remarks Stephen A Smith has made the past 20 years on ESPN is remarkable. Of course he has made tens of millions of dollars because his loud course. He has made tens of millions of dollars because his loud boorish act is deemed entertaining. So he's not going to shut up now. In fact, in four years he could be in the White House, which definitely would qualify as a damn disgrace. That will do it for another edition of Gambling Mad with Norman Chad. Hope to see you again next time and remember, if you're going to roll the dice, make sure they're loaded.

Speaker 1: 22:16

Once upon a time, last century, overpopulation was a major global problem. We were told world population was growing too fast and would lead to water shortages and mass starvation and societal collapse. Heck, the world's most populous nation at the time, china, introduced a one-child policy per family to manage population growth, but now we're being told that low birth rates might lead to societal collapse. Instead of an overpopulation panic, there's an underpopulation panic. Well, which is it? Do we need more humans or less humans?

Speaker 1: 22:54

Am I supposed to be Elon Musk or Eunuch McGillicuddy? I'm not in the mood to procreate, but if Donald Trump is offering 5k a baby, I could get in the mood. But do we really need more bodies? Balderdash? There are 8 billion people on planet Earth and, as of this morning, 5 billion of them are on the 405 freeway here in Los Angeles. I say we hold at 8 billion and take our chances. Besides, when I die, we'll fall just under 8 billion. Until then, I'm not dropping my pants and impregnating anybody. I won't breed or mate or be put out to stud, and if the government gets anywhere near my three-pack of Durex extra-ribbed condoms, I will go gambling mad. Okay.