NEW: Sports betting companies DraftKings, FanDuel, bet365 & Fanatics dropped $29m into a super PAC called Win for America in the 2nd quarter, bringing the total raised to $70m this year.

Ken Vogel@kenvogel.bsky.social · 4mo ago

NEW: Gambling companies DraftKings, FanDuel & Fanatics this year quietly donated $41m to a super PAC targeting state legislative races in Texas & Georgia (which are among the biggest states that have not legalized sports betting) & Pennsylvania (which has considered raising taxes on sports betting).

You know those 1-10 pain charts at ERs? Do they have a 1-10 chart for the degree to which your diarrhea is explosive?

Nearing 1,000 reviews on Goodreads, "Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling" has a stellar 4.3/5 average rating. Today only, get the Kindle version on Amazon for just $3.99!

a MUST-READ book!

Danny Funt@dannyfunt.bsky.social · 4w ago

Thank you for the newsletter shoutout, @joeposnanski.com! EVERYBODY LOSES will be Amazon’s Daily Deal on Sunday, so lookout for a huge ebook discount that day only if you haven’t grabbed a copy yet.

Thank you for the newsletter shoutout, @joeposnanski.com! EVERYBODY LOSES will be Amazon’s Daily Deal on Sunday, so lookout for a huge ebook discount that day only if you haven’t grabbed a copy yet.

As I told David for this great story, I've never heard of an active player, let alone a former MVP like Harper, doing something like this for a sportsbook VIP. I cover the VIP side of the biz extensively in my book, and heard from bettors who say they get hooked on the betting, but also the perks.

David Gambacorta@dgambacorta.bsky.social · 4w ago

A Pennsylvania man earned VIP status at FanDuel by wagering large sums on sports bets. He developed a ruinous gambling addiction. The company rewarded him with enviable perks — champagne, Super Bowl tickets and, we found, a personal video from Phillies star Bryce Harper.

Listen, I have my priors about gambling, but I’d recommend everybody read @dannyfunt.bsky.social’s book on this.

Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈@josephpolitano.bsky.social · last mo.

NEW from me: Americans are set to lose nearly $250B gambling this year—a record high, up more than 60% since 2019—and that's before counting unofficial betting via prediction markets or crypto Can anything stop America's gambling boom? 🧵

Today @dannyfunt.bsky.social joins @caitlinmoriah.bsky.social and @trentrichardnelson.bsky.social to talk about how sports betting has grown so uncontrollably in the last five years www.liberalcurrents.com/the-legaliza...

The Legalization of Sports Gambling in America (Half the Answer #89, with Danny Funt)

How did sports betting burst onto the scene so violently in the last half-decade? Danny Funt, author of Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling explains the legal, regulatory ...

liberalcurrents.com

what is the job of the third VAR official who stands behind the other two. is she just there to keep an eye on them and make sure they're not playing games on their computers

One of my toddler's most relatable traits is craving lunch by 10:30 am

I discussed the Brendan Sorsby ruling on @pbsnews.org NewsHour. I don't think it's quite as one-sided as some have suggested (especially the programs that play Texas Tech). It's distressing that so many are crying "BS" about him being addicted to gambling. www.youtube.com/watch?v=aON_...

Texas Tech ruling ignites debate on sports betting and gambling addiction

YouTube video by PBS NewsHour

youtube.com

I feel like I had a fairly libertarian view on gambling as I do with most vices until I read @dannyfunt.bsky.social’s book EVERYBODY LOSES, after which I was like oh god no nevermind this has gotta go

@c-span.bsky.social founder Brian Lamb grilled me about my book EVERYBODY LOSES, plus some totally unexpected stuff, like a piece I wrote about Nick Kristof running for governor of Oregon and being distressingly hostile toward reporters. Check it out! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

Danny Funt, "Everybody Loses"

Podcast Episode · Booknotes+ · May 26 · 1h 28m

podcasts.apple.com

I’m speaking with David about his enthralling new history of American sports betting at 7 tonight at Park Road Books. Charlotte friends, come through!

Pegasus Books@pegasus-books.bsky.social · 2mo ago

We are thrilled to share that OVER/UNDER by David Bockino was included in @aarp.org's Summer Book Preview! Check it out:

Thank you @tomhaberstroh.bsky.social for taking hours to chart definitively: Shai falls way more than most. Between that, the team's nonstop flopping, mauling Wemby, & other borderline dirty play, I think it's fair to be put off by OKC beyond just being a hater. sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/...

"The tobacco industry was notorious for co-opting trusted health experts to vouch for the safety of smoking. Today’s gambling giants are deploying a similar strategy." (@dannyfunt.bsky.social) newrepublic.com/article/2100...

What Sports Gambling Is Learning From Big Tobacco

Why is America’s leading advocate for gambling addicts now pushing betting bills?

newrepublic.com

Why did Keith Whyte, America's leading advocate for mitigating gambling harm, leave the National Council on Problem Gambling? And what's he been up to since? Turns out he was fired by NCPG, then offered a steep raise by the gambling lobby: $20,000 a month. From my profile in @newrepublic.com:

I'm honored to be sharing a stage with @emilydufton.bsky.social and Erin Williams tomorrow morning at Gold Coast Book Fair to discuss one of the most provocative allegations in the air -- as it involves gambling, painkillers, and much else: "the business of addiction." #bookfest #longisland

In J-school, Steve Coll assigned this Ted Turner profile by Ken Auletta as a terrific example of the form. www.newyorker.com/magazine/200...

The Lost Tycoon

Ken Auletta’s 2001 profile of Ted Turner reveals a man whose “contradictions are as clear as his views.”

newyorker.com

Don't miss this week's SLR, guest edited by @dannyfunt.bsky.social and featuring @tab-delete.bsky.social, @shalinidr.bsky.social, @charlesbethea.bsky.social, @swhyno.bsky.social, @benjij.bsky.social + more mailchi.mp/sundaylongre...

☀️ The Sunday Long Read: Danny Funt, Stanford, YouTube in Schools

The week's best journalism. Every Sunday.

mailchi.mp

I highly recommend “Everybody Loses” by @dannyfunt.bsky.social. One of my favorite all-time reads is “Jackpot” @byrobdavies.bsky.social. Danny‘s book is the perfect US complement to Rob's brilliant look at how gambling broke Britain.

What a treat to be able to guest edit today's @thesundaylongread.bsky.social. . Checks it out! @charlesbethea.bsky.social, @nathanielpopper.bsky.social, @mariepastora.bsky.social, @benjij.bsky.social, @davidjroth.bsky.social, and many others. mailchi.mp/sundaylongre...

☀️ The Sunday Long Read: Danny Funt, Stanford, YouTube in Schools

The week's best journalism. Every Sunday.

mailchi.mp

11. EVERYBODY LOSES by @dannyfunt.bsky.social an incredibly insightful and horrifying peek behind the curtain of aggressive, predatory industry of sports gambling and its regulation

Spend lunch with us tomorrow! I'm honored to be joining @morganstateu.bsky.social for a webinar about the sports betting boom, especially what it means that so many college students are suddenly enamored of gambling. Register with the QR code below:

That's what we explore this week on Question Everything. I learned a ton from this conversation with Kate Knibbs of @wired.com, @dannyfunt.bsky.social, and @joon.bsky.social about the rise of betting in sports, news, and life. Listen 🎧: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/q...

Question Everything

News Commentary Podcast · Updated Biweekly · Propagandist? Truth teller? Influencer? Question Everything unravels the contested work of journalists and the moral complexities surrounding the stories t...

podcasts.apple.com

My #FridayReads is @dannyfunt.bsky.social's EVERYBODY LOSES, a comprehensive look at the rise of sports betting in this country, which is exactly the sort of Michael-Lewis-esque narrative nonfiction I'd love to represent. #mswl

This Thursday at 6:30 pm, I'm speaking with @justinwolfers.bsky.social about my book EVERYBODY LOSES at Ann Arbor's @literatibookstore.bsky.social. I'd bet we'll touch on things like: --How do sportsbooks egg on bettors? --Do people in the industry have misgivings? --Are sports being corrupted?

This Thursday at 6:30 pm, I'm speaking with @justinwolfers.bsky.social about my book EVERYBODY LOSES at Ann Arbor's @literatibookstore.bsky.social. I'd bet we'll touch on things like: --How do sportsbooks egg on bettors? --Do people in the industry have misgivings? --Are sports being corrupted?

In the spirit of April Fools' Day, I wrote in my newsletter about three surreal moments from the past year that definitely felt like pranks: open.substack.com/pub/dannyfun...

It's felt like April Fools' Day a lot recently

The gambling business can feel like an elaborate prank.

open.substack.com

This weekend I finished @dannyfunt.bsky.social’s EVERYBODY LOSES. It’s a great primer for understanding many of political, social, and economic processes and impacts of sports gambling