The comedians at Saturday Night Live took aim at the gambling world with their “Rock Bottom Kings” skit. In the three-minute and thirty-second mock ad, spokespeople from the “Rock Bottom Kings” betting app introduced a new feature where bettors could wager how… their gambling-addicted friends and family would ruin their lives.
Although the skit was a work of satire, it hit on some dark truths about the apparent impact of gambling products in the digital age, especially sportsbooks.
How did those embedded in and around the gambling industry react? Will this message register or inspire some meaningful impact in the realm of problem gambling and addiction, perhaps breaking through the noise in a way unique to comedy?
Lottery Geeks sought to investigate.
The reactions
Barstool Sports personality and avid gambler Stu Feiner made a prediction:
Rock Bottom Kings would overtake Grindr on the App Store in one day
— Stuart Feiner (@StuartFeiner) February 25, 2024
Andrew Bucholtz of Awful Announcing was waiting in the queue to make his first wager on “Rock Bottom Kings”:
Downloading Rock Bottom Kings so I can bet on the original poster here. https://t.co/ig9qmzs6kt
— Andrew Bucholtz (@AndrewBucholtz) February 25, 2024
Gavin McHugh, one of the hosts of sports betting prediction show/podcast @FridayBeers, thinks this skit is an all-timer:
Shane Gillis gambling SNL sketch will go down in the sports betting hall of fame… 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/0xHjmaaG5p
— Gavin McHugh (@gavinmchughh) February 25, 2024
Barstool’s Big Cat, also known to some as the “fade god,” felt a little uneasy after watching SNL:
I feel attacked
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) February 25, 2024
And, of course, some of his loyal co-workers and followers felt the same way:
me that whole skit pic.twitter.com/ozpwMzz0eV
— Masters Burner (@ANGC_burner) February 25, 2024
Even the social media person at ProFootballTalk liked the skit:
This is great from @nbcsnl .. https://t.co/GWTSnXrAUJ
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 25, 2024
A word from social media tout John Hyslop:
Can you use Rock Bottom Kings in Massachusetts?
— John Hyslop (@sloprules) February 25, 2024
And for those who think the sports betting economy is going to crumble after SNL’s skit, gambling industry expert and investor Chris Grove weighs in:
I think we can calm down about the SNL skit.
After all, NPR kept going fine after Schweddy Balls.
But seriously, it's just an SNL skit, it's funny, and it's not really a big deal.
Tax rate revisions, NCAA interventions, IGRA updates, lack of new states, over-consolidation of…
— Chris Grove (@OPReport) February 26, 2024
Sports media host fitzgfy says this is the best spoof ever:
View this post on Instagram
thejuice, a popular sports betting meme page on Instagram, asked his followers to tag a friend they’d bet against. It’s safe to say the replies were “interesting” to read:
View this post on Instagram
Jessica Welman, the editor of SBC Americas, thought the message in the skit was more potent than the responsible gambling information operators have put out to the public. That said, in her post, she asked many experts from the gambling industry what they thought. There’s plenty of perspectives and viewpoints in the comments section:
Professor of Theology Kenneth Keathly, who’s researched problem gambling, pointed out that he found no humor in the skit. Instead, he said it shows the dangers of mobile gambling:
This @nbcsnl skit captures the danger of having such instant gratification available at the press of a button. https://t.co/r1Np2PknYf
— Kenneth Keathley (@ken_keathley) February 26, 2024
And finally, brand strategist Jamie Salsburg, amongst the chatter of the recent SNL Skit, said most responsible gambling resources are only available online where most of the gambling products are located:
The resources that people gravitate to early in their “curiosity” phase of wanting to quit gambling are almost all online.
This makes sense due to embarrassment, stigma, etc.
Most websites created and promoted by state agencies or the gambling industry highlight helpful…
— Jamie Salsburg (@jamiesalsburg) February 26, 2024
We shall see if the sketch gains a mention during an upcoming hearing about gambling-related legislation. In the spirit of sports betting, we’ll even post odds that some lawmaker will reference by the end of this week: -290 Yes, +240 No.
