Gambling's new frontier: The explosive growth of online sports betting

As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare for the Super Bowl, fans are placing their bets — a lot of them on their phones with platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings. The ads are everywhere and many bettors, especially young men, are losing so much money it’s raising ethical questions about the multi-billion-dollar industry.

DraftKings is facing a class action lawsuit alleging it violates New Jersey consumer laws by using deceptive promotions to manipulate gamblers, leading them to develop addictions. The complaint also accuses the company of fraud, misrepresentation, and improper retention of customer funds, seeking damages and injunctive relief.

On this episode of Studio 2, we talk about how the rise of online sports betting changed the professional leagues, and the financial impacts on people.

And we ask you: How has the change affected you and your friends and family? What do you see as the pros and cons? 

Guests:

Andrew Brandt, executive director of the Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law at Villanova Law

Harry Levant, director of Gambling Policy with the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University and a gambling addiction therapist at Ethos in Philadelphia.