Ending up on a "Saturday Night Live" skit is nothing new for celebrities, government officials, and popular entities, so maybe it was a matter of time before sports betting became indoctrinated into the long-running comedy show’s schtick.
This past weekend was that time.
In a spoof of online sportsbook DraftKings, SNL’s cast of guest host and comedian Shane Gillis and regular Kenan Thompson and Marcello Hernandez starred in a fake commercial poking fun at sports betting customers on Saturday.
The two-minute skit starts as a parody of typical sports betting ads but then turns into something else.
Instead of wagering money on games and taking the chance of losing, SNL’s “Rock Bottom Kings” promoted betting on losers.
“We all know a friend who struggles with online gambling,” the fake ad actors said. “We all know a friend who’s on the verge of losing everything, his house, his family, his entire life. Now you can bet on how he’ll lose it all with Rock Bottom Kings.”
Rock Bottom Kings
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) February 25, 2024
bet on how your friend will lose it all pic.twitter.com/Cxnw6APqWt
Lowest moments
The fake app promotes prop bets on how the “degenerate friend” will go broke, like going double or nothing on a WNBA game or betting his kid’s college fund on a coin toss.
Other wagering options hilariously included “what his lowest moments would be” and what the friend would sell to recoup his losses, like a kidney.
The ad also delved into the world of same-game parlays, where fake bettors could place a 4-leg wager on getting divorced, marrying a rich widow, being arrested for elder abuse, and faking death but getting caught when using a sports betting app.
Under fire
The skit also made fun of sportsbook commercials that promote cash, gold, fireworks, and flames. It mentioned that gambling is a serious addiction, but then added that it's “seriously awesome.”
SNL concluded the parody with the tagline “Rock Bottom Kings … he’s the one with the problem.”
Sports betting ads in the U.S. market from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and others have come under fire recently, and there is even a federal legislation attempt by New York Congressman Paul Tonko to stop these commercials.
With 38 U.S. states having legalized sports betting, this is a debate that isn’t going away, and maybe one that SNL decides to spoof again.
