Gambling. Investing. Gaming. There’s No Difference Anymore.; The New York Times, October 20, 2025

Jonathan D. Cohen and Isaac Rose-Berman, The New York Times ; Gambling. Investing. Gaming. There’s No Difference Anymore.

[Kip Currier: It's good to see online gambling issues getting more attention, as in this 10/20/25 New York Times Op-Ed. One of the piece's writers is Jonathan D. Cohen, author of the 2025 book “Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling".

I spoke on these issues in my talk -- AI Gambling Thirst Traps and God: Christian Imperatives, Church Roles, and Ethical Responsibilities -- at the September 2-5, 2025 Faithful Futures: Guiding AI with Wisdom and Witness conference in Minneapolis. A publication based on the talk is forthcoming.]

[Excerpt]

"If it feels as if gambling is everywhere, that’s because it is. But today’s gamblers aren’t just retirees at poker tables. They’re young men on smartphones. And thanks to a series of quasi-legal innovations by the online wagering industry, Americans can now bet on virtually anything from their investment accounts. 

In recent years, this industry has been gamifying the investing experience; on brightly colored smartphone apps, risking your money is as easy and attractive as playing Candy Crush. On the app of the investment brokerage Robinhood, users can now buy stocks on one tab, “bet” on Oscars outcomes on another, and trade crypto on a third.

Given a recent explosion in unsafe gambling and growing evidence of severe financial harm, one might ask whether the government should be permitting 18-year-olds to effectively bet on the Dallas Cowboys with the same accounts they can use to invest in Coca-Cola. Under President Trump, who has a son serving as an adviser to two entrants in the sports prediction marketplace, the answer appears to be a firm yes."

As sports betting explodes, experts push for a public health approach to addiction; NPR, September 30, 2025

Karen Brown , NPR; As sports betting explodes, experts push for a public health approach to addiction

"RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: The sophistication and complexity of betting has become staggering.

BROWN: That's U.S. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. He's co-sponsor of the SAFE Bet Act, which would impose federal standards on sports gambling, like no advertising during live sports and no tempting bonus bet promotions.

BLUMENTHAL: States are unable to protect their consumers from excessive and abusive offers and sometimes misleading pitches. They simply don't have the resources or the jurisdiction.

BROWN: The gambling industry is lobbying against the bill. Joe Maloney is with the American Gaming Association. He says federal rules would be a slap in the face to state regulators.

JOE MALONEY: You have the potential to just dramatically, one, usurp the state's authority and then, two, freeze the industry in place.

BROWN: He says the industry acknowledges that gambling is addictive for some people, which is why it developed a model called Responsible Gaming. That includes messages warning people to stop playing when it's no longer fun, and reminding them the odds are very low.

MALONEY: And there's very direct messages, such as, you will lose money here."

All About the Action:Are lawyers more at risk for gambling addiction?; ABA Journal, August 1, 2025

DAVID WEISENFELD, ABA Journal ; All About the Action: Are lawyers more at risk for gambling addiction?

"“Something about gambling draws in certain types of lawyers,” Levant says. But the same things that make them successful in the courtroom can turn against them with gambling and make them vulnerable to wins and losses, he notes."

Gambling addiction in the military may be going unnoticed, advocates warn; Task & Purpose, July 3, 2025

PATTY NIEBERG , Task & Purpose; Gambling addiction in the military may be going unnoticed, advocates warn

"“Gambling addiction holistically, across the spectrum, even outside the DoD population, is horrendously underresearched. We have very limited data,” Huble told Task & Purpose. “We don’t have good prevalence information on the general population and then within military populations, especially, there is not really standardized screening from branch to branch.”

As defense officials finalize the 2026 budget, the National Council on Problem Gambling — which advocates for addiction treatment but still supports legalized betting — is asking Congress to help study gambling in the military to improve prevention and treatment options. Major gambling companies like FanDuel Group and BetMGM are also pushing Congress to study the issue in the military. 

In June, the council sent a letter to Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), who lead the defense subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, asking that problem gambling issues in the military be included as an eligible topic for Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program in the fiscal year 2026 defense appropriations bill. The letter was signed by BetMGM, FanDuel Group, MGM Resorts International, and problem gambling councils from 29 states."