Freaky Fortnight – Late October Entertainment from the Gambling World

We’re always up for a laugh at ProfessionalRakeback; something you may already be aware of if you’ve read our Freaky Fortnight series before. That’s why we’re back for even more of these amusing stories from the poker and gambling worlds.

Over the past fortnight, we have discovered a variety of stories that aim to provide some light-hearted fun to our readers. So let’s see what these amusing stories are from the latter half of October 2023.

The Amusement of Others Is Not Amusing for Gambling Hotline

We would never laugh at someone who suffers from gambling addiction or other problems with gambling. After all, it’s all too easy to get addicted to some things. That’s why in many countries there are gambling helplines that people can call to seek out assistance. It’s all part of being involved in responsible gambling activity. Even we at ProfessionalRakeback have a section dedicated to Responsible Gambling, detailing how to tackle this problem.

Yet earlier in October, operators fielding calls for the National Problem Gambler Hotline (1-800-GAMBLER) were inundated with prank calls. Clearly, the person or persons calling through found a certain level of amusement in their chosen pastime with each call going something along the following lines:

Male caller asked twice if this was Burger King. Advised that this wasn’t, and this is a crisis line which should not be prank called. He said it wasn’t a prank call and one of our employees told him before that this is the phone number for Burger King. I thank him for calling and he said, “You all f****** suck at your jobs.” I disconnected the line. The next day, another male called and asked “Is this Burger King?” and hung up.”

Those notes were passed on by one of the volunteers the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG). This organization does have its own helpline, but also receives calls forwarded from 1-800-GAMBLER should someone call in with a Florida code.

According to the FCCG Executive Director Jennifer Kruse, more than half of the calls that her hotline received on the weekend starting Oct. 20 had a similar outcome as the one highlighted above. Altogether, staff under her employ handled 46 of these inappropriate calls, and it didn’t take long to understand what was happening.

Information from another caller led to the conclusion that there was a meme going around online about prank calling gambling helpline numbers. Others attempted to emulate these antics, leading to the flood of fake calls.

The week prior to the inappropriate calls taking place, a Twitch presenter by the name of LosPollosTV (who has over 685,000 followers) posted a TikTok video. Typically, he streams himself gambling, playing video games, and going on strange escapades.

Yet the two-minute video he posted on TikTok is a longer feed of a stream he did two years ago in which he calls 1-800-GAMBLER. In the “skit,” he suggests that he’s lost a bunch of money at an online casino, calls the line, and says he thinks he has a gambling problem. The woman on the other end of the line has a back and forth with him before claiming that he has called a Burger King. The operator tells him to pray to tackle his gambling demons.

Yet most people who have heard of this video also believe it isn’t real. Viewers don’t get to see the number the man is dialing in the video, and he gets the same operator over 12 times during the course of the video.

Of course, that video may be fake, but this hasn’t stopped numerous people seeing it and wanting to get in on the supposed gag. That is what led to the increase in prank calls to the gambling hotline. So, you tell us – funny or not funny? It has a certain level of entertainment to it, but when it’s taking time away from serious problems, can it really be considered so amusing?

Brad Garrett Heckles the Professionals at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel

Who isn’t a fan of Brad Garrett? The actor and stand-up comedian, who is best known for portraying Rob on the CBS sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” has been quite the mainstay in the poker world, too. In 2005, he won the fifth season of “Celebrity Poker Showdown,” and he has since participated in several World Series of Poker tournaments.

Brad was last mentioned at ProfessionalRakeback in May 2020 when a mass of celebrities were set to compete in a PokerStars charity poker event. Hosted by actor Ben Affleck, the event would eventually be won by professional player Ebony Kenney but featured stars, like Garrett, Amy Schumer, Macaulay Culkin, and Jack Black to name a few.

Actor Brad Garrett on “Poker Night in America”

He has remained active within the poker scene since then though. Most recently, he was seated at a table at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, playing against other stars and pros, like Jennifer Tilly and Brandon Adams as part of “Poker Night in America.” Live footage of the event shows Garrett providing heaps of entertainment during it, as he heckles the other players before finally getting a chance to win money against Jason Mercier.

The stand-up comedian buys in with only $5 chips throughout the entire event, so the stack of these in front of him is considerably larger than those in front of the other players. He calls Tilly an “underwear model” at one point, before questioning whether there is a chance to get poker cards with “bigger numbers on them.”

Garrett also tries bluffing pro Brandon Adams, telling him he has “a good hand.” “You wouldn’t do well in prison, but you’re doing great here,” he then comments, with a laugh coming from the other players. You can watch the video here as it features some great one-liners and heckling of the other players at the table. Perfect entertainment for 10 minutes of your time.

Amon-Ra St. Brown Reaches “An Agreement” Outside of the Facility

It’s a simple policy – don’t gamble within the facility and you won’t be suspended. That’s as much information as the Detroit Lions have to work with when it comes to the National Football League’s gambling policy. So, essentially, if you must gamble, make sure you do it outside of the NFL. Has Coach Dan Campbell managed to hammer that message home enough for the players in the Lions, though?

Well, it may have reached at least one of the team’s members in wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. In a bet (or agreement as St. Brown puts it) made “outside of the facility,” a wager of sorts was placed on the USC-Notre Dame game that took place on Oct. 14. The “agreement” suggested that if Notre Dame won, St. Brown would have to wear a leprechaun outfit. Had USC won, the other party would have had to dress up as Tommy Trojan, mascot of USC.

Amon-Ra St. Brown Dressed as a Leprechaun

In the end, Notre Dame did come through with the victory, defeating the USC Trojans in a 48 – 20 result. Thus, St. Brown ended up wearing the leprechaun outfit and appeared in a video on X (formerly Twitter) answering various queries.

What made it a little odd is that when questioned over the wager, St. Brown was very clear to note that no bets of any kind took place. “We don’t do bets in this facility”, he states, “we made an agreement – I mean, it was outside the facility…”

We at ProfessionalRakeback aren’t too sure why he opted to highlight the betting policy surrounding the Lions. Who knows – maybe they can make it part of their slogan for the season? Just imagine all the Detroit Lions cheerleaders holding up a banner that states, “We Don’t Do Bets in This Facility” as the team prepares to play. It could be the key to the team winning the NFC North!