The Current When it comes to sports betting, does everyone lose?
Mar 23, 2026
Danny Funt, journalist and author of Everybody Loses, examines how legalized sports betting reshaped fandom and the industry. He discusses the normalization of wagering through apps and ads. He explores online live bets, conflicts in sports media, risks of addiction and corruption, and why leagues embraced gambling despite integrity concerns.
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Sports Media Has Been Co‑Opted By Gambling Dollars
- Sports media's financial ties to gambling risk conflicts and insider trading issues.
- Funt reports former ESPN staff said media were essentially bribed by ad dollars and reporters hold locker-room access that could be abused.
Language Masks The Reality Of Gambling
- Industry avoids the word gambling to reframe betting as investing or a hobby.
- Funt says this linguistic shift obscures addiction risks and helps companies dodge admitting gambling's addictive nature.
Industry Denial Conflicts With Medical Consensus
- Despite medical consensus, some industry leaders deny gambling is addictive to avoid responsibility.
- Funt notes gambling is a recognized behavioral addiction in the DSM, yet association heads refuse to concede addictiveness.
