How the Philly region became an online gambling epicenter

The Philadelphia region is now the marketing epicenter for the online gambling boom. With that, comes more problem gambling.

Air Date: December 16, 2025 12:00 pm

FILE - FanDuel, DraftKings and other online gambling apps are displayed on a phone in San Francisco, Sept. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

It’s not just Vegas and Atlantic City anymore – Pennsylvania has become a gambling epicenter. Online casino gaming and sports betting generated record revenues for the commonwealth.

Gambling companies are pouring more ad dollars into our region than anywhere else in the country. And now gambling help lines are fielding record numbers of calls. Young men may be particularly vulnerable to marketing filling their social media feeds, as they’ve become the fastest growing demographic battling addiction.

This episode, we’ll look at the industry, the advertising, the regulations and the risks. We’ll also zero in on the largely unregulated and predatory world of crypto casinos luring young men to bet big.

Guests:

Gillian Russell, professor at Penn State Abington and lead author on Pennsylvania Online Gambling Report

Max Marin, investigative reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer

Neil Bedi, reporter for the New York Times

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