ARGUING YES
Director of Gambling Policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute
ARGUING NO
Partner at Princeton Public Affairs Group
GUEST MODERATOR
Journalist and Host of “Smart Girl Dumb Questions”
This week:
- New episode: Was legalization a big win or a risky gamble?
- A closer look at the gross annual revenue generated
- Your Sunday reading list
How much money will you bet on this year’s Super Bowl on February 9? Will you use DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM to place your wager or will you make an informal bet among friends at a game-day party?
The Super Bowl is the single biggest betting day in the country, with $1.3 billion spent on last year’s event alone. In the old days, gambling was relegated to Las Vegas and some racetracks. But since the Supreme Court struck down a law preventing state-regulated sports betting in 2018, Americans in 38 states have bet over $450 billion, often at the touch of a button on mobile devices. Bets are made on athletes, which Super Bowl commercial will play first, who they think will win a particular game, and more.
But was legalization the wrong bet to make?
Some say that’s exactly the case. What’s happened since legalization created an unforeseen marriage between sports teams, media companies, and betting leagues, leading to a public health crisis. This has driven a rise in gambling addictions, especially among young people. With a lack of guardrails and regulations, it has propelled an epidemic.
Others say legalized sports gambling has been good for fans and the sports industry. They say it helps create jobs, generate tax revenue, and monitor problematic gambling.
Don’t roll the dice on missing out. Listen to the debate now on your favorite Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, and join the community on our website. As always, let us know what you think.
DEBATING THE DATA
The Gaming Industry’s Big Winnings Since Legalization
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Has Legalizing Sports Gambling Become A Bad Bet?
YES: Harry Levant
“In just six years [since the Supreme Court decision] the gambling industry, working together with its sports and media partners, has delivered to the American people a fundamentally different, inherently dangerous, defective and deceptively-designed gambling product. A gambling product that is generated almost exclusively by artificial intelligence that delivers to every phone, tablet, computer, and even TV remote constant and non-stop gambling action on every single micro event within every conceivable sporting event and contest, 24 hours a day, non-stop gambling action.”
NO: Bill Pascrell III
“Between 96 and 99% of all gamblers in all markets, not just in the U.S., don’t have a problem with gambling. They use it as entertainment, as fun. Put a bet on a game. You’re gonna be more inclined to watch the game and kibitz and joke, and that’s all safe and fine… This is not a public health crisis. There’s no empirical data that shows that. I believe legalized, regulated gambling is the best way to address gambling addiction. It’s not addressed through the black market, which is double, maybe triple the size of the regulated market.”
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