The US gambling sector is closely monitored and guarded. Each state that offers legal sports wagering or iGaming has its established regulator that ensures operators follow the guidelines, while authorities in states that do not offer such services can hunt down and prosecute illegal gambling activities.
Given the strict rules, many gambling companies fear how can a regulator react if a breach of the rules is uncovered. Whether that would be a financial penalty or worse, license revocation. Although sometimes fears are unfounded, this may not be the case for Penn Entertainment which recently fired a Barstool employee after uttering a racial slur while rapping. Earlier this week, Ben Mintz, a famous Barstool Sports personality was fired by Penn, the parent company that recently finalized the acquisition of the network, after he rapped a racial slur during his “Wake Up Mintzy” show.
Local media outlets revealed that Mintz accidentally uttered the “N-word” while rapping a song. Reportedly, the immediate action from Penn came over fears of “retaliation” from gambling regulators. However, Barstool Sports’ founder, Dave Portnoy, wasn’t particularly happy with Penn’s decision. He posted a video on social media criticizing the decision of the company.
Portnoy retold the story and explained that Mintz was seen “turn white as a ghost” instantly when he rapped the racial slur. “When he (Mintz) read it, he knew he f***ked up, he’s been super apologetic and in shambles basically. If anybody watched the clip, they’d understand that there was no way he (Mintz) meant to do that,” explained Barstool Sports’ founder.
“By the way for everybody saying Barstool is dead to them I knew this would happen. I said it’s so against everything we stand for that it could be a death blow. Penn understood this. They still did it. That’s how frightened they were of regulators who operate with no impunity,“
reads a statement released by Dave Portnoy
Additionally, Portnoy explained that it is clear that Mintz didn’t say the slur out of hatred but was aware that he messed up. Still, Barstool’s founder said that he didn’t expect to see Mintz lose his job over this accident. Speaking about Penn, Portnoy said he was stunned by their reaction. He claimed that the company operates in a world that is strictly regulated and referred to Penn’s gambling licenses.
The topic quickly gained popularity on social media. As always, most opinions differed but many people showed support for Mintz, saying they understood that he made a mistake and was apologetic about it. Others criticized Portnoy for agreeing to sell Barstool to Penn saying that he will now have to abide by their rules.