Summary

• The Deal or No Deal Banker is one of the most mysterious game show figures in history, and details about the character are limited.
• The original U.S. Banker was played by actor Peter Abbay, and he also voiced the Banker in a 2006 video game.
• The Banker's job is to make offers to contestants and get them to either accept the money or take a risk, and their identity remains unknown in the show.

Deal or No Deal was one of the most talked-about game shows of the late 2000s, and the Deal or No Deal banker remains one of the most mysterious game show figures in history. The franchise premiered in 2005 before it took a break for almost a decade, but the game show got another chance and returned to NBC in 2018. Howie Mandel hosts this program in which contestants win money, mostly by pure luck. There are 26 numbered briefcases, each manned by a model, with one of them having been Meghan Markle.

One of the best parts of the show is the infamous Deal or No Deal Banker. This character was not named or seen in the show's first iteration, and the new banker is a mystery in the current show. The Banker somewhat ominously exists in an upper control room, making offers they hope the contestant can't refuse. Details about the mysterious figure are far and few between, but some have been revealed. Deal Or No Deal was unfortunately axed a year into its reboot, but interest in the show remains high.

11 The Original U.S. Banker

Peter Abbay Was The Original Deal Or No Deal Banker

A common, yet simple, question that fans had was: "Who is the Deal or No Deal Banker?" The first banker was a secret during his run on the series but has since had his identity revealed. Audiences always knew he was male, but after the show ended, his identity was unveiled. The first Deal or No Deal Banker was an actor named Peter Abbay. He was an important part of the game show's first life, but he also acted in Another World, House, and Punk'd. Abbay's most recent credits include the TV show Missing Person Finders.

10 The Banker's Voiceover Secret

Peter Abbay Was Also In The Video Game

It's very interesting to look at Peter Abbay's IMDb, other than his other TV roles. A handful of Deal or No Deal episodes are listed under self-credits, which is odd. More noteworthy, however, is Abbay's credit for voicing the Deal or No Deal Banker in a 2006 video game. If a stealthy fan had seen this credit back in 2006, that would have been a dead giveaway. Video and computer games have been a pretty big part of the show's franchise, even showing up in arcades and restaurants such as Dave and Busters.

9 Banking Around The World

The Banker Continued In The International Version

With Deal or No Deal, the idea has become a worldwide phenomenon, much like other reality shows with international versions. A German game show called Die Chance deines Lebens (The Chance of a Lifetime) was the beginning. It premiered in 2000, and it is believed to have inspired a Dutch show which translates to "Hunt for Millions." That show added the element of opening the cases, and the Deal or No Deal Banker. The series has a long international history, and that means there are numerous mysterious Bankers.

8 What Is The Banker's Job?

This Is What The Deal Or No Deal Banker Is Meant To Do

Part of the Banker's job is to get the contestant to throw in the towel, accept the offer, and exit the game. It is a game of risk assessment by the contestant, evaluating whether to accept the guaranteed money. It is often a good litmus test for greed or determination, depending on how one looks at it. The Banker's job is to make the audience wonder if the contestant will play it safe and take an offer from the Deal or No Deal Banker or if they will decide to test their luck and aim for more money.

7 The Second Deal Or No Deal Banker

Deal Or No Deal Banker Gender Swapped In Reboot

With the show looking to revitalize itself during its second run, they chose a new Deal or No Deal Banker. This time, the identity was less of a secret. The Internet quickly figured out that the banker was played by Carrie Lauren. Deal Or No Deal recasting a famous role has precedence, but it is still a bit surprising. Her silhouette can be seen in the Banker's office, and Mandel interacts with her just as he did with the old Banker. Carrie Lauren was on Nickelodeon's original All That and appeared in Magic Mike.

6 The Banker Makes Creative Offers

The Banker Thinks Outside The Box

The Banker's job is not just to make offers, but to get contestants to accept their offer. This means that some prizes are out of the box. An example involves a family who wants to go all the way and win big for a house and a car. One member is a basketball player and a serious fan. The Deal or No Deal Banker makes the offer of a lifetime: a signed ball, tickets to a game, and courtside access to practice. However, the cash offer accompanying these material items was only $7,000, so the contestant declined.

5 Is Deal Or No Deal Rigged?

Game Shows Are Supposed To Be On The Up-And-Up

Reality and game shows are not supposed to be staged or scripted, as that is a common complaint among audiences. As far as anyone publicly knows, the Deal or No Deal Banker is not tipped off to any secret information. They are not told how much is in each case and are not keyed into anything that would be considered game-changing information. There is always the chance that production can keep a secret well, but as far as fans know, the banker knows just as much as the viewers.

4 The Folklore Of The Banker

The Deal Or No Deal Banker Protects Their Identity

Everywhere the Deal or No Deal Banker goes, they become even more of an enigma. A case in point is a 2006 interview story from Today. To add further questions to the Banker's identity in Deal or No Deal, the writer published the story under an alias, Wendell Wittler. Not surprisingly, at the end of the interview, Wittler says, "You're sounding more like a TV producer than a Banker." The Banker replies, “Okay, to be perfectly honest, I’m not The Banker. I just work for him. You can call me The Teller.”

3 Research Shows How The Banker Makes Deals

The Risk/Reward Aversion Affects The Offers

In 2008, four scholars (Post, van dem Assem, Baltussen, and Thaler) wrote a scholarly article titled Deal or No Deal? Decision Making under Risk in a Large-Payoff Game Show. The authors sum up the show pretty well with this statement: "Risk aversion decreases after earlier expectations have been shattered by unfavorable outcomes or surpassed by favorable outcomes." The Deal or No Deal Banker knows this and uses it to their advantage, not only to make dramatic TV but to make it hard to get a big prize.

2 There Is An Evil Plan On Deal Or No Deal

The Banker Is The Villain Of This Game Show

In the end, the Deal or No Deal Banker is a villain. This is in print in that Today interview, and it is evidenced on the television show. Without the Banker, Deal or No Deal would be pretty bland. Contestants aimlessly open briefcases until they run out of high cash prizes or win big. The Banker has to shake things up by messing with the mind of each hopeful player. The whole point of his role is to confuse the contestants and make things harder, so with that in mind, the Banker is the antagonist of the show.

1 Producer Glenn Hugill Was The UK Deal Or No Deal Banker

Richard Osman Revealed The UK Banker's Identity

Audiences were mystified by the identity of the UK Deal or No Deal Banker, and that query has been cleared up by Pointless game show star Richard Osman (via Mirror). Osman spoke about some collaborations he had been working on and let it slip that producer Glenn Hugill voiced the UK's Deal or No Deal Banker. "Two Tribes was an idea that Glenn Hugill - the banker on Deal or No Deal - and I had been thinking about for a long time," Osman stated. Hugill was once a presenter on the game show The Mole.

Glenn Hugill played police officer Alan McKenna on Coronation Street.