Craig Carton’s journey from iconic American sports radio host to prison and back again is well known.

The 56-year-old was sentenced to 42 months in prison in 2019 for his role in a $5.6 million ticket fraud scheme that he said was the result of his ‘deep, dark spiral’ into gambling addiction.

He was also convicted of conspiracy as well as wire and securities fraud in November 2018. Ultimately, he served just over a year in prison before being released to a halfway house in June 2020.

Now Carton, who hosts Breakfast Ball on Fox Sports 1 on weekday mornings, is hoping his story can serve as a warning to college students in America as the sports gambling market continues to grow.

Carton and FanDuel have partnered to create a ‘Responsible Gaming College Tour’ with stops at campuses across the northeast to raise awareness and educate young adults on the risks of problem gambling.

Over the past few years they’ve spoken to students at Rutgers, Sacred Heart, Manhattanville, Fordham and a few others.

Craig Carton is hoping his story can serve as a warning to college students in America

Carton (left) was sentenced to 42 months in prison for his role in a $5.6m ticket fraud scheme

He told DailyMail.com in New Orleans on Thursday: ‘The fastest growing segment of the population that’s now gambling for the first time are college kids, 21 year olds.

‘They turn 21 and what do you do? They want to have a drink. They want to live life. We’re men now, we’re women, and gambling is a part of that.

‘So we’re concerned about that, because a lot of these kids have never gambled before. It’s their first time, so understanding the value of money how to bet responsibly, I just want to make sure they don’t go down a road, a slippery road, like I did, and get themselves in any kind of trouble.

‘For me it’s just educating them, walking them through how to do it responsibly, recreationally, and for the kids that aren’t gambling, if they see certain behavior amongst their peers that’s troubling to them or concerning that they know what to say and how to find out if their friends do it.

‘Now, if I’m 21 years old and I want to gamble, I don’t have to go to a casino. I don’t have to find the local bookie, like all that kind of stuff. I can just whip my phone out and I can do it so that access has changed the game significantly, because so many more people are now going to do it for the first time.

‘So our job is to just let those people know. Do it, enjoy it. A very small percentage of people are ever going to have a problem, but for those that do, let’s try to make sure we get those people help and get them kind of out of their own way as quickly as possible.’

FanDuel announced on Friday that half of their seven million customers engaged with My Spend, a personalized responsible gaming dashboard, during the NFL season.

The tool gives users insights on their deposit and betting activity, including amount deposited and net winnings over the last seven days, four weeks or three months.

It also encourages customers to utilize the existing suite of responsible gaming tools FanDuel offers, including deposit limits and wager limits.

Carton, pictured with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, has been broadcasting in New Orleans

Carton thinks such tools would have had a positive impact on him if they were in place at the height of his addiction. But he also conceded that most compulsive gamblers ‘don’t want help.’

‘I think if I was aware of the tools that they offer and if I was gambling on their site, then I would have been more willing to maybe put those tools in place to help me,’ he said.

‘I can’t say for sure, because I didn’t do it, but it would have been nice to have known that those things existed, if I was coming up now, gambling and those things existed, which at the time they didn’t for me, I’d like to think I would have been smart enough to at least look into it.

‘But you know, it’s like any other addiction. You know you’re gonna twist my hand. I’m gonna go with you, fighting and screaming and kicking until I reach whatever my bottom is, and for me, it was walking into a prison cell.’

Carton left his radio show on WFAN for a more luxurious deal with Fox Sports in 2023 and he’s been presenting Breakfast Ball from New Orleans this week.

When asked if it’s difficult to work in the media, where gambling commercials are prevalent, Carton said he has no trouble with it anymore.

He replied: ‘I wouldn’t say a battle, but a balance, because you’re so exposed to gambling talk and commercials. I’m at a really good place now, almost seven years in recovery without gambling, where I’m good with it.

‘I can hear a million ads. I can see your commercials, and I don’t have the desire to now go running gamble, but early on you know you’re going to be exposed to it. Can you handle it?

Carton backed the Philadelphia Eagles to ‘easily’ beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday

‘So what I did was I surrounded myself with really good friends and family who were unwavering, and if I even stepped a little bit out of line, they’re there to smack my hand. And without that, I’m not even sure I’d be standing here today.’

Speaking just days before the Super Bowl, Carton made a bold prediction that the Philadelphia Eagles will beat the Kansas City Chiefs ‘easily’.

He added: ‘I think the Eagles top to bottom are the more talented team. I think they’re the better team.

‘I think Jalen Hurts is the most disrespected quarterback, maybe in the history of the game. I think the Eagles win the game easily.’