Beverly Hills, Calif. -- Court TV and Country Music Television are betting that casino gaming will remain a hot programming genre as both networks announced new gambling-based reality series.
Court TV announced Thursday at the Television Critics Association tour here that it will roll the dice on two casino-based shows.
A Dec. 8 special, Al Roker Investigates: Kids, Cards and Dice, explores the culture of betting among high-school and college-age kids. The one-hour show will talk to students, parents and gambling experts about the growing phenomenon, according to Court TV officials.
The network will also air The Takedown, a reality series in which con artist Paul Wilson looks to beat casinos and hustlers through high-tech gadgets and skill.
Also at the TCA Tour, Viacom Inc.-owned CMT said it will bow in October Man vs. Vegas, an eight-part reality series in which an ambitious high roller returns to Las Vegas several years after gambling away $3 million, according to network officials.
Armed with $1 million, gambler Daren Leverenz attempts to regain his lost money while helping other amateur gamblers win in “Sin City.”
