Why Is Gambling Everywhere?, What Super Tuesday Means for P.a.

With the ease of online sports betting and corner store games, gambling is addicting more Americans. We look at how the industry is changing and the rise of problem gambling.

Air Date: March 6, 2024 12:00 pm

Gamblers play slot machines at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. on Nov. 29, 2023. Figures released on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, by the American Gaming Association show that the U.S. commercial casino industry had its best year ever in 2023, winning $66.5 billion from gamblers. When figures from tribal casinos are tallied later this year, the combined total is expected to approach $110 billion for 2023. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Super Tuesday was a big win for former President Trump. He dominated, taking 14 of the 15 states which held primaries yesterday. His last remaining rival, Nikki Haley, announced the suspension of her campaign this morning. So we’re back to a Trump-Biden rematch. But both candidates face a lack of voter enthusiasm. And what about Haley’s supporters – where do they go? Stephen Medvic, professor of government at Franklin and Marshall College, joins us to sort through the Super Tuesday aftermath.

The temptations of gambling are becoming more accessible to a wider variety of people. People are now playing at casinos, on their phone and even at their local corner store. Ryan Briggs, reporter at the Inquirer, joins us to discuss the legal loopholes of corner store machines and how Philadelphia is trying to push back against legislation from Harrisburg.

And, we talk about the broader issue of gambling addiction with Josh Ercole of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of PA, and Holly Sawyer, Director of Masters in Addictions Counseling at Drexel University. We also talk with Dave Yeager, a U.S. Army veteran who is recovering from gambling addiction.

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