The bad thing about Dad protecting Sonny is it teaches Sonny the wrong lesson. If Sonny thinks he can gamble and not pay that eventually will bite Sonny in the rear end.
I used to know a kid whose Dad was connected to the local police and the kid was always engaging in minor crimes and thug stuff while Dad's connections got him out of it. Kid's address for the last three decades has been a federal prison. There are some things Dad can't get you out of.
The dad's putting the kid on the right track to get free entry for life at the DCC