How the Sports Betting Industry Quietly Consumed America
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Writing by Sam Denby and Tristan Purdy
Editing by Alexander Williard
Animation led by Josh Sherrington
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References
[1] digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/c...
[2] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
[3] news.bloombergtax.com/daily-t...
[4] aifs.gov.au/research/research...
[5] www.biakelsey.com/wp-content/u...
[6] www.washingtonpost.com/world/...
[7] www.economist.com/graphic-det...
[8] responsiblegambling.vic.gov.a...
[9] theconversation.com/who-wins-...
[10] www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/g... [11] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
[12] www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...
[13] www.bettingusa.com/laws/paspa...
[14] www.forbes.com/sites/darrenhe...
[15] www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id...
[16] www.crunchbase.com/organizati...
[17] www.wired.com/2015/10/daily-f...
The fact that universities have taken sports betting advertising and even sending shit to their students is straight up criminal. that should absolutely not be allowed.
It's not well regulated either. I work with HS students who are at risk. Of my 28 students 6 are actively involved in online sports betting. These are High School students. Of that group only one is 18.
The kick back they received is crazy
The ncaa and universities do not care about the student at the organizational level. I've worked for a number of colleges of various quality and one consistent thing is that at the top, it's always about monetizing students. The people below have to fight bad policy all the time.
What? Thats insane. Im Australian the sports betting capital of the world. We dont even do that. 18 year old birthdays first thing kids do is download sports betting. Its messed up here.
@@tymonster183 Universities only care about researchers. Students are just income to them.
As someone who's had very serious trouble with online gambling in the past: Never gamble. I don't care if it's for $5 or $500. Anyone can be sucked in too deep. Literally anybody. Please be careful if you do.
Good on you for turning it around!
I hear what youre saying, but I can throw 50$ away sports betting or I can go on a date and spend(if Im lucky) only 50$.....I get more enjoyment out of spending 50$ watching sports than going out to restaurant. Not everybody loses their mind or ass sports betting....that being said it has ruined lives, does depend on the individual.
Same here and I wholeheartedly agree. I lost $7K to online sportsbook gambling over the course of 2 weeks in 2020 and forced myself to step back, do some serious soul-searching and finally quit gambling online. I now only gamble when I go to Vegas once a year, and I have a set amount to spend. If I lose that, I'm done. It's a system that's worked for me thus far and it is what the video ultimately suggests as a solution, at least partially, to this situation.
@@PolPotsPieHoleYou would enjoy gambling more than a date?? Oof
Everybody has some serious trouble with something, or they're the most boring person in the world. Never smoke cigarettes, eat food, drink alcohol, use drugs, have sex, gamble, drink caffeine, or succeed at work. Enjoy your life.
It's absolutely mind blowing to me that politicians receiving gifts from corporations is not considered grounds for dismissal and criminal prosecution. That is the biggest factor compromising democracy in the modern day. Why do we accept it?
Because they already bought them politicians. They can’t be unbought to ban it.
fr
Because the people in charge are too old to accept change which is why we need younger politicians to come on
Because 'Murica is the land of the free! Haven't you heard? Free to do whatever you have as long as you have enough money, that is.
@@alexstewart4077People need to get out and vote. You know who consistently votes? Elderly white people. They may be dying off, but they still comprise a large block of consistent voters. And they vote during non-election years.
I was an addiction counsellor for a few years and gambling addiction is always the most nefarious. You get a dopamine spike whether you win or lose, its accessible at all times, becoming more socially acceptable and very very easy to hide early on. Between the brain activity that occurs, with the gamification on our phones, lack of seriousness the public lends it, and no similar symptoms to other addictions (withdrawals/smelling like drug) it will absolutely turn into a big problem down the road.
Sounds similar to a porn addiction too, unfortunately both are so easily accessible and acceptable these days
In my country (NL) you used to be able to bet only with a company controlled by the government called ToTo. But a few years ago they opened up the gambling market. Now both commercial parties as well as the Toto are constantly spamming commercials primarily focused on teenagers and young adults. If this was a government brewery or weed dealer there would be an outrage over promoting addiction with kids but when it comes to gambling not a word from the politicians.
My dad once told me gambling is more dangerous than drinking. A drunk can only drink themselves to death in a night, but a gambler can ruin their entire families lives in an hour.
There is an Australian KZheadr called Friendly Jordies, who posted an interview with a whistle-blower explaining how ClubsNSW (a major gambling company here) uses slot machines to allow for money laundering by the black market. Friendly Jordies is now facing jail time for "defaming" ClubsNSW. This is the first time that I've ever seen any journalist in Australia being prosecuted for posting a video, and it's kinda scary how powerful the gambling industry truly is here.
And got his house firebombed...
@@sadmermaid Yes he did! Although there are plenty of other powerful corrupt people who dislike him, and as of now we have no idea who did it. The whole thing is still very much under investigation.
How silly for the gambling types to overreact. If people weren't that aware of criminals behind the gambling scene then they are now.
Idk why people praise Australia as the greatest country in the world when you can be arrested, have your house firebombed, and the media paints you as the bad guy
@@testname4464 I believe you spelled the name incorrectly, it's A M E R I C A. Plus in America you get people trying to be President for life.
I’m glad you covered Australia. It’s an absolute horror. My dad is a lifetime gambling addict. Never had any food in the house but plenty of money to spend on the dogs, the horses or the pokies.
I'm for legal gambling, but its an absolute disgrace that pokies exist. Everyone knows its rigged but people still use it because they think they're going to be the lucky ones to win big.
@@bluerabbitjeevs when I was around 20, I watched a 22 year old put $2000 into the pokies in a matter of 15 minutes. That was basically his whole pay. It was astonishing. He did it every week
You guys got free healthcare so it's automatically better than the worst country on earth lmao
I live in WA so no pokies. When I went over east I felt sick when I went into an RSL and saw them all. My brothers an Afghan veteran and apparently when he went to his first RSL and saw it he had a few things to say to management. My big thing is the phone and console games though. I work with the really challenging kids in child protection. Pretty much the ones who go to juvenile detention. The majority have those games on their phone or playstation where you spin something to win a virtual item. Like NBA2K and FIFA. One of the boys I looked after turned 18, moved into independent living and promptly blew $1000 on trying to get a basketball player. He's now firmly addicted to sports betting. I always wonder whether the gambling industry pays the gaming industry to have these things in children's games to start getting them used to gambling.
it's not an addiction lol its shitty people being shitty and knowingly making wrong choices, doesn't matter if the choice is gambling all your money or robbing a bank.
My mom was a highly awarded school teacher for 40+ years. She was a daily Champion on Jeopardy TV show. She still doesn’t and never drank but once she moved to Arkansas near casinos in Oklahoma she gambled away Everything on slot machines. She is back teaching at 83 to avoid homelessness. She is one of the smartest nicest people you can meet. I run into people all the time who Love her and she changed their lives in positive ways but she very sadly lost my dad and her retirement because of legal gambling. I’m trying to help her but it’s very difficult. Thank you for making this video 😢
Very sad, unfortunately its never too late to start making bad choices. I hope things turn around for her!
There really is a genetic marker for addictive behaviors like this - it’s not that people are bad people or immoral - they get addicted psychologically.
Never too late to make god choices either!
I live in one of the US states with largely legalized gambling, and I work in risk at a local credit union. It's not a rare occurrence that the algorithm flags an account for fraud due to repeat transactions, and when I take a look, someone has written multiple checks to a casino in one night or repeatedly hit their ATM limit trying to play more. I've seen normal people, making normal money in an expensive town, lose over $50,000 in a month just at local bars and casinos. I generally believe adults should be able to do what they like with their life, but I can't understand how computer algorithms designed to extract as much money from someone are legal.
Gambling in Australia is so ingrained into the culture. It's almost impossible to convince many people that it's a problem. I tried to talk to one uncle about it and he accused me of being un-Australian. Entering the lottery and betting on sports is a central part of many people's routines and daily lives.
Considering the wildlife in Australia gambling is part of your life simply hopping not to die to a random critter or even a tree.
Hell, the independent journalist Friendlyjordies got his house firebombed shortly after revealing the extent of the gambling lobby’s influence. Not saying they did it, he has many enemies… but the timing was very sus.
@@M33f3r the wildlife thing is just a meme that vaguely applies to the outback. The risk of death by animal barely applies to anyone with a half a brain… hence why we likely made the stories, because most deaths by animal are to tourists.
@@M33f3r You're kinda responding to a serious comment with a joke. Not really the right time or place to pull out the "Australia has scary animals lol" joke.
@@VelumCaeli Bob Katter would have you against the wall for saying this
When I took my first statistics course at university the lecturer used gambling games to illustrate the main concepts. We started with coin tosses, moved on to one and then two dice roles, and then roulette probabilities. In EVERY case the house had an edge - basically the longer you played the more money you were going to loose. One statistician even described gambling as a voluntary tax paid by people who don't understand statistics!
Definitely an apt description, anyone with any basic understanding of statistics or buisness would know that the Casino is never going to lose on average because then it wouldn't be in buisness for very long. Never gamble, any and all money gambled should be assumed lost not invested, and if you want to throw away money its easier and more entertaining to just dig a hole and toss it in and litterally burn it.
They do call lottery tickets a "tax on the poor" since poor people are more likely to consistently spend money on these things.
The first time I flew into Vegas (for a conference) the random guy sitting next to me said, "to think, there are gamblers who actually believe this city in the middle of a desert sprung up thanks to all the winnings by people like them."
Read another article explaining that the house's edge is bigger for fruit machines than card games, since the criteria for winning in the latter is based on relative instead of absolute performance i.e. so long you have the best result/hand, you can win money, instead of needing your result to meet a certain level. To win at a fruit machine you need all the fruits on the rollers to line up, which has a low probability, but to win at poker you 'just' need to have the best hand among all players at the same table (which is probably 10 at the maximum, so your probability is at least 10%, definitely higher than getting all fruits to match on a fruit machine), which can be as 'lousy' as having one pair. No where does it say that you must have, say, a full house or a flush, whose likelihood is likely less than either the aforementioned 10% or your probability of getting pairs, to win money
@@lzh4950 Interestingly, I once dated a girl who repaired the slot machines at a casino. She told me the modern machines are controlled by an electronic circuit that could be programmed with different win probabilities. So while the odds on games like roulette and blackjack are fixed and can be calculated by the punter, the odds on a slot machine are whatever the casino programmed into the machine.
This is such a brilliant episode. I had no idea that gambling was so restricted in the US. Here in the UK there are literally thousands of betting shops, in every town, and the online casinos through app stores are destroying lives whilst creating offshore non taxable income for their owners. Timely, well researched and provoking.
The average UK gambling spend per adult per year is under $300 and falling year on year, so we seem to be winning the war against gambling culture despite our rather relaxed laws. Which is definitely interesting.
Same in Sweden. Those "pokies" are in pretty much every bar and pub except the really fancy or really rural ones.
Sounds awesome and how it should be.
@@Ellie-rx3jt I wonder how much of that is to do with a lack of disposable income though, and the fact that so many of us are just incredibly risk averse (hence not bothering with investing in general as well)
Yup, its basically impossible to lose money as a bookie or casino
I’m a money laundering investigator for a bank. I’ve seen people lose ridiculous amounts of money through sports betting while looking through transaction histories. It’s really sad.
Fuck u why is it your business where my money is from
I'm an Australian, the other day I said to my work colleagues that I didn't want to buy into the lotto, only to be accused of being un-Australian and having all my coworkers try and peer pressure me into buying into gambling. It is crazy how natural it is here. A lot of smaller parties and newer politicians are trying to start anti gambling laws but are having no success with it.
New Zealand is about as bad tbh...
I had the same at work they started a company wide lotto pool thingo. It was optional so I saw it and opted out when it was mentioned to me saying I don't do the lotto and mentioned off handedly I didn't have any cash on me anyway. Next week I come and my supervisor decided to put my name on the sheet without asking for the next one. I let it slide as it was with good intentions and it didn't happen again. Also he and some of the others here have their phones constantly running "Slotomania" on the side while at work and talk about races they betted on its crazy how to some it's now strange/rude not to gamble.
Ireland and the uk gambling is seen as the norm here too
This video didn't represent the Australian industry correctly. Australia has had legalised sports betting and slot machines well before casinos, and they're much more accessible than those centrally located casinos.
I studied abroad in Sydney and I couldn’t believe how many slot machines there were. I had no idea it was that way before I visited. There’s a great poker scene which was pretty fun, but the slot machines are out of control imo
I actually worked in the Crown Melbourne casino while I lived in Australia. That experience was honestly shocking. I worked in FOH in the Food & Beverage department and would get called into any one of the 80+ different restaurants/bars. These would be anything from casual buffets to 5-star fine-dining. Some were directly on the gaming floor while others had street access. Crown wasn't just a casino, it had everything from family restaurants, clubs, cocktail bars, massive banquet halls and even 3 hotels, so people of all ages would be around you, many not even there for the gambling. Regardless of why you were there, you'd always be pretty close to the gaming floor, and it was the star of the show. On the regular gaming floor, I worked the booze carts, offering refreshments to anyone who wanted some buy while playing (many folks a good few drinks in). But I also worked in many of the VIP lounges, these would be open to players with certian levels of spend, and included countless comped items. The higher the spend, the better the perks. Some lounges with have full steak dinners, with premium booze. The shocking thing was that people would literally spend DAYS at the same machine. And when I worked at other venues on the main gaming floor, you would see people crying or looking devistated at 3AM, eating the cheapest comped meal. Sometimes you'd struck up conversations with guests, and you'd realize how far gone they were. Shit like 'you came with my drink at exactly 3:33, that's good luck'. We were trained for these situations, but it was still incredibly jarring. After working there, I had no desire to ever gamble.
Mood, I worked BOH in finance at one in the USA and... yeesh I have no idea how these people even come up with that amount let alone afford it
@@user-vj1vg5mp3j front of house / back of house. Basically, the distinction is whether you interact with customers or work in the offices/kitchens/loading bay/etc.
@Amir Khan FOH is front of house, ie guest facing BOH is back of house, ie dishwashers, cooks, clerks, HR
@Amir Khan you know like the restaurant where they don’t wash their hands after using the toilet and pick food up off the floor, called the kitchen, and the fancy service area out front where they feed you this shit.
It's strange you brought up 3am. I studied that time period and there's no happiness during 3am. That's the best and shortest possible way I can put it. It's full of animalistic behavior, peeping toms spying on neighbors, serial killers driving around, youth wandering the streets looking for trouble, teens online watching porn or gore. 3am has this eerie silence that can turn people crazy, that's why it's called "The Witching Hour" people who study can read faster. I can go on and on.
As an Aussie who follows American sports, I’ve seen the change happening and despaired. Americans sadly do not yet know the horror that they have unleashed upon their country.
Yeah, I was shocked when I first arrived in Australia - so many pokies, TABs, and betting ads! It's like if you lot come to Indonesia and see all the cigarette ads in the telly and (in lots of provinces) banners. I felt disgusted when the Lions had a Neds sponsorship.
We’ve had illegal sports gambling readily accessible here for decades. It’s not new at all….
Some Americans are starting to wake up on it, as every year there's more outcry against the vast amount of gambling ads there are now at events. Only issue is that for every person complaining about gambling there's 2 more talking about their parlays.
@@yankees29Did you watch the video? That is what the gambling interests want you to think. "Its already here, it will always be here, we need to bring it out of the shadows and regulate it". Its the same old snake oil...
@@jimbarino2 what’s the difference? I live in NY. The five families always had gambling available here.
As an Australian I was sitting here listening to the American experience thinking "man that's nothing compared to what we have here". Then BAM, Australia being named and shamed haha
Me too mate. W does his research
Same. Glad Australia got a good examinations on in this one
As an American I know you like the pokies cause of a show called fat pizza.
Thank you for Kangaroo. I love kangaroo
Inducements are so crazy to me: winning 1k that can’t be withdrawn is basically built to get you addicted.
It's literally the gambling version of the crack dealers "the first ones free"
An Australian youtuber (look him up, Friendlyjordies) was covering the story of a gambling industry insider who had turned whistleblower, calling out some alleged illegal activity by the gambling lobby know as clubs NSW. Both the whistleblower and Friendlyjordies had private criminal action taken against them. Friendlyjordies also had his house firebombed but that is not necessarily related. But the industry is so powerful that when they are caught doing the illegal thing, the person who catches them finds themselves in legal trouble.
The premier of NSW announced support for some minor measures to restrict gambling and within a week the papers were running stories of a Justin Trudeau-like blackface scandal from his youth. The betting shops here play very dirty, it takes guts to stand up to them.
I am a recovering gambling addict. I got to the point where I had no money but was still using credit cards to gamble. I was ignoring the losses and bragging about the wins… you know… addict stuff. I put myself on my states do not play list but that didn’t stop me from going across state lines on longer trips to gamble. I went a while without doing any gambling but after covid I decided to go to Vegas. One Vegas trip turned into a second Vegas trip 2 weeks later since I won some money on the first one. The second Vegas trip snowballed into me driving casinos in different states again. I quit again this year and have been doing pretty well with staying out of the casinos. The house always wins… you’re better off spending what you were planning to spend in the casino on an impulse purchase. At least that way you’ll have something to show for it.
same bro im trying to cool off because i used to gamble recreationally but i got out of control but you are right spending money on things is the only way to really not lose it all back to the casino. When i started gambling it was like 100-200 a week online and sometimes id win 1k my best session was 5k from 200 i bought a whole gaming pc and setup with the money. Over time i've gone up to $400 $500 $1k $2k buyins and my average bet has also about 8xed($100 to $500 a hand from $25-50) in that time but i definitely don't win on the scale i did on smaller buyins when it was all just for fun. Eventually it blew up to a day where i lost $5500 in the span of 24 hours at 3 different casinos and since then i realized playing at these stakes makes it no longer just a "for fun" thing. I've learned if you're gonna gamble keep it reasonable and set goals before you gamble and stick to them, if you can't gambling isn't something you should do.
Hey at least you got out of it. The number one thing to remember is the more often you gamble the faster it becomes increasingly impossible to ever come out positive considering all you spent. I’m an addict myself (drug) and had a halfway roommate who won $500 on a scratch off on a whim, he cashed it out and brought $500 worth of scratch offs, scratched them all off then took say the $400 he won back spent it all on more tickets. You see where it’s going he did that over and over for hours until he was right back to square one and had no money. I begged him to stop the whole way through but not how that works. A lot of the times the wins are more dangerous than the loses. So that’s my whole point even if you went back and did win back all your past loses (or potentially more), would you ever stop and say “this is enough I won it back and have no more desire to gamble”
bet it all on red bro u got this 🙏🙏
Personal I just look at gambling as some fun where I expect to lose money. Go to a casino with some friends and play some poker, and expect the 300 bucks I brought to all be spent before I'm home. I don't think that's any worse than spending the 300 bucks watching a football game or something with friends. The only problem is when you look at it as anything but a way to lose money.
I been to a casino once in my life tagging along with a friend out of curiosity. The energy in the air was enough to get me to get the hell out asap. Second hand cigarette smoke entering my lungs, people slamming machines with veins popping out of their foreheads, and the smell of desperation due to rent money being spent in an attempt to “double it”. It was like an evil chuckie cheese’s, I don’t think I’ll ever step foot in one again.
Never been a gambler and I’m absolutely surprised how much sports gambling is being pushed
Oh come on. California just overwhelmingly rejected Sportsbetting.
@@aleksandaratanasovic8835 wow a single state in a single scenario banned it. This surely nullifies the dozens of ads you see see on every single game or video you watch across the rest of the world.
It’s irritating @sf too. Can’t even talk about sports with anyone without them whining about bets they made.
When AZ legalized it in 2021 a sport book was every other ad on TV at its peak.
Own stocks, or insurance 🤔? Means you gambled..
I'm fortunate enough to never have had gambling problems but I cannot imagine how hard it must be for somebody trying to quit having all this pro-gambling advertising and messaging shoved down their throats whenever sports are on. It's really awful.
There is so much of it. Ads for sports betting, fantasy sports, racetracks, casinos, lotteries, scratch-offs, etc. The tickets are there at every convenience store counter, the Keno is there in bars, mobile aps are advertising their gambling services, even video games are pushing thinly-disguised gambling on kids. It's worse than alcohol advertising.
Just because some people are not responsible doesn’t mean we should be able to enjoy it in moderation
@@EebstertheGreat Better to have it legal so that it can be regulated. Perhaps it is currently under-regulated. You raise relevant issues that could be solved through regulation.
@@swissarmyknight4306 So why exactly was it legalized when the regulations in place are not nearly sufficient enough? There are plenty known, well understood and serious downsides to gambling while the upside is "it's fun" (and probably more importantly for the legislature: increases tax dollars). Why on earth was there a laize-faire approach to legalizing it?!
@@swissarmyknight4306 I agree. Tobacco is legal, but we realized the dangers of having it advertised everywhere all the time, and tobacco use dropped. I think it would make sense to control the advertising and prevalence of gambling facilities in the same way. And I think it's ridiculous that the state runs a lottery.
my family played card games since my sister and i were little, my parents routinely destroyed us and took our allowance money without mercy. and they always said after we lost our last dollar bill for the night, this is what gambling is like, if you play, be prepared to lose everything we developed a very negative view on gambling needless to say lol
Damn. You got smart parents.
Uh...no...fear works temporarily without facts...
Damn that’s so foul lmao they could’ve done that like once or twice
In California, the sports betting app companies put Proposition 27 on the ballot, which would legalize betting apps (while advertising how the tax revenue would help fund affordable housing-itself a huge issue in CA). The advertising blitz was horrific. Had this video come out in July, at least two "yes on 27" ads would have played (there was another rival proposition, proposition 26, that expanded existing sports betting). Prop 27 would go on to lose by one of the biggest margins of defeat-ever (80% voted no). They actually realized this in September and stopped running ads. Is this going to stop them? No-they're going to try again. CA is too big a market to ignore.
I saw some ads on tv just last month from those companies. I would have thought the ads would have stopped after they saw how they lost but I guess they'll do anything to try to get the California market.
Only 95% of the people lose money sports betting. Gambling was massively increased by HornDog Willy Clinton. Now there are casinos in almost every state, and over 99% of the gamblers lose money in casino gambling. Gambling is a fraud.
Here in Alabama where even the Lotto isn't allowed, every few election cycles they throw up tons of ads for trying to legalize gambling. Unironically it's common to see political smear campaigns where the politician in question is framed as pro gambling.
This video really nailed some of the issues we have here in Australia with pokies being so prevalent. The issue almost took down a former government of ours who tried to go up against the gambling lobby with some fairly modest reforms around betting limits. In New South Wales, which has around half the machines in the country, pokies are EVERYWHERE. Heaps of pubs have them, and regulations around pubs not being able to advertise their presence has created the odd euphemism of "VIP Rooms". Great video and I hope it draws more attention to the situation here.
Was the death of any good drinking hole in Australia. I remember the days before them.
@@ProphetAndLossit’s completely on another level in Australia. It’s a shame they don’t need a sign on them that says “this machine will only return 70% of your money.”
Brave of you to speak out against Clubs NSW (watch out for fire bombs 😬😬)
That’s why every country needs to amend there free speech statutes to make it a felony to knowingly lie or hide the truth on mass media. That way every gambling exec could be jailed and have their assets liquidated instead of losing the govt
In UK we call them FRUIT MACHINES or PUGGIES. They are the crack cocaine of gambling
My fathers sports gambling addiction got so bad my parents couldn't pay the mortgage and lost the house. My mother divorced him, took me and my siblings with her and we lived in poverty for years. Fortunatly my father stopped betting and got his life back together but not before his addiction broke my family. We have since reconciled but It has left me we a fear and distain for gambaling. In the last decade this problem with gambling (especially mobile) has become so much worse, I dread to think how many more people have or will have an experience like ours. Never gamble, if you think "that wouldn't happen to me" you are the easiest mark there is. Gambling companies are predators, you are the pray. And lets not ignore the prevalence of gambling mechanics in video games, Completely unregulated and aimed at the youngest people priming them for mobile gambling addiction as adults.
Sounds harsh but sad to say your father is just weak willed and/or not the brightest. It is physiologically true that most all of us are predisposed to enjoying the "high" gambling and other vices bring. Being an adult means honing displine and moderating indulgence no matter how intense the urge. I absolutely love drinking and could easily see myself becoming an alcoholic but force myself to abide by boundaries despite every instinct telling me to drink daily
@@domepuncher I will bet you that you grossly underestimate the amount of dim/weak minded people in society (which is the only type of bet I will ever confidently make)
@@domepuncher yeah that only works without the knowledge these apps are literally mental warfare designed to be as addictive as possible. Sure, your weak willed or just dumb for throwing your money away but its different when your been unfairly and maybe unknowingly manipulated. There is a difference between someone been dumb and that same person been exploited by someone smarter. You can call them easily influenced but its not the same thing and has entirely different implications...
Anyone can be influenced... even you. So be careful
NFL=WWE=NBA 🇺🇸
This is one of the best videos you’ve ever made. I lived in Australia for a year and saw this in person. The pubs in Queensland, for instance, are almost exclusively owned by woolworths, typically include a family restaurant, a pub, a night club, and a bottle shop. But you can’t get from one part of the venue to another without walking by the pokies. For most, they will put $20 or $50 in and try to pay for dinner. But there is a significant minority that will spend $500/night on the pokies and never come out ahead. They fill the room with scents of baby powder to comfort the players, and keep the lights constant and low so there is the perpetual feeling of evening. All while hypnotizing lights and sounds go off to keep people sitting down and playing. There have been successful business owners who have killed themselves because they took on too much debt from the pokies. I could go on much longer about this, but needless to say, this is a huge problem and I wouldn’t like to see it duplicated elsewhere.
I've been worried about betting apps having increasingly more ads on tv. I'm from Argentina, where football is pretty much a religion, and we have gone from having traditionally 1 betting system nation-wide, with little to not advertising, to at least 5 international apps getting constant ads during this last WC. And the target demographic was what bothered me the most. Same as in Australia, they're aiming to low-income groups, several offering certain free money for their first bet under the same conditions, you can use it but not withdraw it. "The hope of a better future, engineered to line someone else's pockets". I read that yesterday, and instantly kicked me back to those thoughts.
Here in Brazil they completely took soccer. A Brazilian new betting app got Corinthians' shirt for 30 million dollars. Things are terrible here now, and you can find an endless amount of videos in youtube by people who are lost in this world.
New Jersey resident here, Chris Christie pushed so hard for the Sports gambling. It was insane. He gave two public statements within a week or so of each other, one was "we have to abide by the federal government's rulings when it comes to marijuana legalization, regardless of what the public wants" and the other was "WE'RE GONNA MAKE SPORTS GAMBLING REAL AND I DON'T CARE WHAT THE FEDS SAY ABOUT IT!" I still think about this constantly, you expect that sort of thing in politics, but it's still very funny to see it in such stark contrast.
I wasn't aware of that inconsistency, but it makes a lot of sense. Thank you for sharing.
Doublethink?
south jersey resident here! i recall being annoyed that sports gaming was legalized before recreational marijuana it really seemed strange to me, i mean obviously rec. is now legal either way our states politicians have to be getting huge cuts of all this.
As an Australian I am very glad that you made this. The gambling lobby is incredibly powerful here, and they regularly exert this to protect themselves. Over the last few years they have been shown to be deeply complicit in incredibly serious organised crime, as well as indirectly allowing money to flow off shore to fund drug cartels, terrorists and industrial child sexual abuse. Despite this they barely take a hit in the media, and politicians who are willing to speak up are routinely attacked. As a young man with two psychologists for parents, I have both seen and heard of the wreckage that this stuff can unleash in people's lives. I deeply hope that the US doesn't follow our lead on this!
I hope so too, we have enough problems
Marijuana is a bigger money maker.
there is a journalist who did videos on clubsNSW and got firebombed for it. name is friendlyjordies
Yup, and those of us smart to invest into gambling ventures are making a killing off all these suckers.
Most likely they were built primarily to cater to the Chinese population which has been increasing exponentially the last few years. Compared to the Chinese, the real Australians are relatively light gamblers.
As a poker player it's hilarious that sportsbetting is being normalized, legalized and claimed to be skill.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if sometime in the near future, the professional sports industry was rocked by a massive betting scandal that involved the coaches, the teams’ owners, the players and referees where it’s discovered games are deliberately thrown so that betters obtain illegally gotten gains in the form of massive payouts. This isn’t a question of if it’s going to happen, only a question of when. Greed is running rampant in 21st century society.
So if(when) that does happen what will the affect be on the whole industry?
@@joshuakazhila9567 The effect (not affect) will seriously harm the credibility of sports in that none of the games will be taken seriously anymore and competition will become meaningless. The 1919 World Series was harmed in this way when it was discovered Chicago White Sox baseball players on the team were getting money from organized crime to deliberately throw the game so the Cincinnati Reds would win. A baseball commissioner was appointed to prevent something like this from happening again and 8 players on the Chicago White Sox were banned for life from playing professional baseball.
awakenbeerus win every game
I misread your comment as "Awaken Beenus" and I was really confused.
Aussie here, my two stories of the pokies: - Large pub in my relatively small country town had its pokies stolen in the mid 2000's (rumoured to be an inside job) closed it's doors less than a year later. - My mate works at a venue that holds it's liquor license till only 2am. However, the venue stays till 6am for you guessed it: the pokies Poker machines literally are the venue at many establishments across Aus, the bar is in many cases a mere attachment. I knew Aus had a gambling issue but this video put it into perspective
is it really that big in the eastern states?
@@jonathanodude6660 I feel like its much bigger at pubs in NSW than it is in Vic but yep its pretty big over east
Drinking and gambling? What cold go wrong?
I had no idea that Australia had a massive gambling problem until I watched this video. In my area of the world, government-run lottery games ave been a fixture for decades, at least going back to the 70s, and probably earlier; casinos, though, are a recent development. The ones which were built are just outside of the city center (maybe 5-ish miles from downtown) or right in the city center. One of them is doing well, but the one right downtown is in a city that itself is far from the real population centers, so that casino isn't exactly printing money.
love the pokies!
It's wild, I'm about to turn 30 and growing up gambling and betting on sports was very much underground, kinda shady almost. Now odds are displayed in the pregame, half time, post game, and ads are every few minutes. Goddamn KEVIN HART, Jamie Fox, Drew Brees telling me to just place bets and how much fun it is! It's insane. I don't think it's a coincidence you have a lot of clips from Chicago broadcasts, it's unbelievably pervasive here. Also we have ads for Illinois Lottery app, it has slots and shit on there. It's honestly disgusting. I cannot imagine how many people are becoming addicted to gambling, I'm glad I never got into it
Millionaires telling us to waste money on sports betting and crypto and all the others piss me off to no end. My total net worth is less than these guys make in a per game basis. My money needs are so vastly disconnected from theirs that unless a sports stars advice is "get a competent financial planner" I generally do the opposite of what they suggest I do with my money in their 30 second ad spot
@@PendragonDaGreat There's one with Drew Brees where they act like they're going to space, but it was really just how thrilling winning is or whatever... After they do the whole fake rocket thing one of them jokes "We're not that rich" but like no DREW you fucking are that rich, and you've sold your soul to gambling companies to convince regular people to place bets and how exhilarating it is.
If you want to participate in gambling without losing money, buy stock in gambling companies. Be the house. The house always wins. Its a way safer bet.
The “everything’s a gamble, so why not bet” is a sicking add that I’ve seen so much
You don't own stocks or insurance? That's gambling with lower odds.
A friend of mine grew up in a household with someone with a gambling problem, he only mentioned it once but I could tell it was traumatizing, suffered a lot of no fault of his own and destroyed his family.
Really great video! You put into words that which I've struggled to tell my friends for years. Gambling really is a lot like substances, just like you said. From personal experience and family issues I've always avoided addictive substances/choices as I've seen far too many people fall down that rabbit hole. Yet so many people are falling into betting without even considering comparing it to something else. My cousin has kids, I love him and his whole family dearly. Over Thanksgiving I was talking to his son about his fantasy football team (he's about 11). Usually that subject would bring me joy, talking to a young lad about football, lineups, strategy, etc. But it really brought me down. I kept thinking, "you're way too young to be doing this" and that fantasy football was the "gateway drug" for spets betting. It felt so fast that sports betting became integrated in sports but I do fear it has gone too far, especially when considering our youthful audience.
This makes me SO fucking sad… When I was only 15 years old I developed a crippling gambling addiction through CS:GO skin betting, it was brand new and completely unregulated at the time. I nearly dropped out of school and had multiple suicide attempts because of the money (my parents money) I was losing. Finally after years of hiding it and making excuses my family found out the extent of my problem and got me help, after a long time and a couple of relapses I was health again by the age of 17. I was extremely encouraged by the direction things were heading, video game gambling had become visible to the public eye and thus got heavy regulation, and beyond that America seemed to have a somewhat health relationship with gambling as a whole and then sports betting took off… I am proud to say I have not bet once or even really thought of it since I turned 18 and online gambling become legal in my state but I’ve watched many friends fall into the same trap that got me when I was younger but they are now adults without any parents to “save” them from themselves. Gambling is an extremely serious, addictive problem that NEEDS to be much more heavily regulated, when it’s accessible whenever you want it from the convenience of your phone it is just plain evil.
That’s so inspiring
People underestimate the proliferation of skins betting in young people. Stay strong guy, skins =/= skill. I'm rooting for you.
I'm glad you realized the problems though, a lot of people have gone down the same path as you and kept going down it ignoring the issue instead of recognizing and fixing the problems! I can appreciate that for sure
I used to buy loot boxes on a Chinese MMO well before EA or Blizzard/Activision started using them. It's rough in those gaming streets. Glad you recovered. With that said, I am glad it's legal and available because gambling should be allowed.
Remember what was said in this video, gambling is nothing more than a vehicle to transfer wealth from the poor to rich. Don't let them play you for a fool.
The "pokies" you're talking about are starting to run rampant here in the US too. My dad calls them "ding-ding machines." All of a sudden in the past few years there's a new breed of convenience stores popping up in rural areas that don't even bother investing in gas pumps to bring people inside. Kind of like how a few years back when a business would shut down and the building would reopen a few months later as a title pawn place. Now they reopen as ding-ding huts. And when are the most cars out in front of the building? The days when people get their social security checks.
This is 100% true. I have property in a rural area, and I can think of two “gas stations” off the top of my head.
I love the term ding-ding hut. Here in aus, we don't have machines in the servos themselves but they do sell scratchies (mini lotteries) which are often gifted to people on holidays and birthdays. Predatory shit.
It's already an untenable situation in Illinois. In 2009 they passed a law that allowed any establishment with a liquor license to have gambling machines too. Now IL vastly outranks every other state in number of establishments with gambling machines because basically every bar has them, a ton of restaurants, and even a sizeable number of gas stations. Just about anyone that lives in a city here is within walking distance of a machine.
Its the same in Australia, if you ever want to feel depressed just go to the local RSL or pub on pension day and you will see easily 50 seniors gambling away their only money
@@Rextraordinaire I've noticed it too. In a weird way, I'm glad to know it's worse in Illinois than in the rest of the country - because if it was this bad everywhere, we'd have a much bigger problem.
Time and time again - the absence of a ban on lobbying creates exploitation and social misery.
Was turned off of your vids for a few months, came back and found you've improved! Thanks mate, quality content
One of the issues of betting on sports is that punters think they can "beat" the sportsbook because of their amazing sports knowledge. But that almost never translates to a good understanding of odds. These companies have models which can very accurately predict the true odds of a result, and then reduce those odds before offering them to punters. I say this as a sportsbook operator. Don't bet.
This is seriously true. A few years ago I saw a news story about just how bad the odds are in fantasy sports betting pools. Almost all of the winnings go to the top 2% of customers, and virtually everyone at the top has some kind of a computer algorithm that sifts through tons of data that they use to make their bets. One guy they interviewed for the story had such an advanced algorithm that it even took the weather into the account in it's bets. So basically unless you have a bot making the bets for you don't bet on sports, you'll almost certainly lose.
@@shadowninja6689 that may be true of fantasy sports but sports betting markets can be beaten especially long term ones
Long term markets are very easy to trade and therefore can be beaten
I kind of find it hard to feel too sorry for that kind of person who always reckons they know just coz they're special or something and no matter how many times reality slaps them in the face they never seem to learn. Guys like that are annoying to have to deal with and I gotta admit to feeling a certain satisfaction if they get pwnd by a bookie.
EVERY gambler is operating with the assumption that they 'have' something (knowledge, technique, luck) that beats the house. ALMOST every gambler is wrong. Unfortunately considering things rationally just doesn't apply, gambling is not a rational action (with a very few exceptions) My first trip to vegas my total 'losses' were $1, spent at a penny slot machine while waiting for my return flight, just to be able to say I tried it. Predictably I derives no joy from it, I am fortunate that gambling is not one of my vices. Still had a blast in Vegas with all the shows.
Don't look now but Wendover is becoming one of the best destinations for journalism anywhere.
I'm curious if he gets offers from lobbyists wishing to portray their industry in a more positive light.
i first learned about sports betting when i joined a college fraternity, and let me say.. i was ASTOUNDED at how much money people were willing to lose over it. im glad i never got that bug
I live in the UK. So many of my friends (male, mid 30s) have multiple gambling apps on there phones. Putting on a football accumulator (parlay) is a saturday tradition. I will occasionally have a bet, but I deliberately have travel into town to the bookies and put it on in person. Not having an app has possibly saved me £1000s in the past 10 years
I'm from Australia and I'm glad that Sam covered our gambling problem; it's a scourge on Australian society! One thing he didn't mention though is that the state of Western Australia doesn't allow pokies anywhere except for in the only casino in the state, Crown Casino. As such, WA has the lowest expenditure on gambling per capita out of all the states in Australia. Though Western Australians still spend a considerable amount of money on sports betting and lottery tickets...
At least our lottery is a state government body that puts profits into community projects. That being said, mobile sports betting is everywhere and I'd say the stats of young men who are addicted would be understated
I didn't release that Australia's prevalence of gambling isn't the international norm until I saw this video. Coming from western Australia, it seems foreign to me to have a pokie machine at the local pub, but it also would be odd to find a pub without a sportsbett or similar
WA makes enough money from iron ore exports that it doesn't need pokies revenue
Gambling is the absolute scurge of Aussie society, I have several friends under twenty who are already thousands of dollars in debt. Gambling advertising should be completely outlawed, there is not a single day I go without seeing gambling ads.
@@joshuavinicombe5774 I was really confused when he showed non-casino gaming machines as such a large chunk of spending. I thought that it must be referring to arcade machines or something. makes sense if they arent legal here.
Interesting that in California propositions to allow sports betting on reservations were defeated by huge margins.
Congrats California
Felt good to vote against those props 💪
@@blainegabbertgabonemhofgoa6602 So now the sports betting that still goes on in California is done by illegal bookies backed by organized crime. At least if you lose your shirt to MGM you can declare bankruptcy instead of getting your kneecaps broken.
@@johnkeefer8760 We also banned gay marriage a couple years ago, and just refused for the third time to have medical personnel on site at dialysis clinics, because people have been brainwashed into believing that a medical workers union is a "special interest." How are unions "special interests?" I work for a living. I'll bet you also do. Seems like a general interest to me.
Sports betting on reservations is less concerning than online betting, and that one was defeated by an even bigger margin. Sports betting was beaten 2 to 1. Online gambling was beaten 4 to 1. Pretty impressive.
I am so glad I spent several years in Vegas as a kid, helped me gain an annoyance at gambling games/companies which compounds the lesson my parents gave me of “Don’t gamble”.
Some of your videos have been hit and miss but this one is great. Thanks for shedding light on a dark underreported issue.
Im so thankful you mentioned Australias gambling problems. As a kid i would see nonstop ads on the television. And now they have just been getting worse and laws really need to be done to stop this. Im no gambler and never will be but i see the huge problems this causes
They run ads on kids programs? WTH is wrong with politicians in Australia to allow this?
@@shadowninja6689 It likely wont' be specifically kids programs. But news? Yup. Sports? Yup. Etc etc.
I have negative interest in sports and the betting ads are fucking inescapable
The TAB took my baby away
It doesn't help that they have celebrity endorsements and a lot of the time could literally look like anything until the show their phone screen with their company logo on it. They are extremely annoying and you can get heaps in a row all from different companies, depending on what channel you are watching.
As someone who lives in Australia, I had absolutely no idea that Australia’s gambling was the worst in the world. I grew up watching my parents go and play a pokie machine whilst we were at a restaurant for dinner. I put my first bed on a sports game on an app the day I turned 18, nearly 10 years ago. It’s so ingrained in society it’s scary.
I don't doubt your experience, perhaps it has changed with time though. I'm 15ish years older than you and when I was a kid gambling was genuinely seen as something only addicts do.
"as someone who"
There’s nothing wrong with it being ingrained in a civilised society the ease of online gambling is worrying though.
@Jaycja it's strange though isn't it. everyone does it now. why not just say "I'm Australian" ? does anyone start sentences in the real world with "as someone who" ?
@@thedishonestjeffsokol2489 living there doesn't automatically mean he is australian
It always amazes me how well reserched and put together your videos are
Watching those old people just rotting their final years away at those machines, eyes glued to the screen, it kind of haunts you doesn't it.
I remember getting the absolute worst whiplash with this when I was talking to my friend and he was heavily sweating a bet he had on a college football game between Florida State and Duquesne… like the prospect of actually worrying about a week 0 game that will mean nothing long term was insane to me. I love sports with every fiber of my being and I deeply hate how much of the industry has been consumed by gambling and how it’s made my friends into gambling addicts without them realizing it. I’m fine with it being legal but we DESPERATELY need stronger regulatory bodies that do more than wag their fingers when these companies flagrantly violate their rules.
Whoever needs to hear this: If you're ever sweating over a bet you made, you have a problem. Please seek help.
The thing I don't get about "sports betting" is, if you guys wanted to put $20 on a game between yourselves, you could do it. Maybe it's technically illegal, but it doesn't hurt anyone and no one cares. Why place bets with some assholes who are just ripping you off?
@@aluisious BUT WHAT IF I WIN?!
@@aluisious thats the thing one of your friends would have to want to take the other team. If im in a room full of eagles fans and they play the cowboys, no one is going to want to take the cowboys.
Yup ppl that bet on sports are usually very pathetic individuals with little self control. Fun fact: there are no long term winners in sports betting
Mate, you're spot on about Australia. The damn pokies are everywhere! From my house, I have a 10 min walk to a couple different pubs that both have heaps of slot machines with people playing away at 10:00 on a Thursday. This is in a lower income Melbourne suburb.
The UK and Japan also have this problem. Gambling dens are everywhere, mostly next to bars. Pachinko has a death grip on the eldey Japanese, and those parlors are full 24/7.
When sports betting became legal in Ohio this year, I saw NOTHING BUT ads for FanDuel, Draft Kings, etc.
It was both sickening and hilarious to see how quickly laws to legalize gambling were overturned, but things that have needed addressing for decades like infrastructure and education are still mired in red tape. Really made me rethink about the kind of place I'm living in.
Why was it sickening?
@@Cody_Bryant1776 legislation works very fast for the wealthy but not for all of the crises we have or to help people
Well sports-gambling brings in a lot of tax revenue whereas infrastructure costs trillions of dollars so it’s harder for the government to agree on. It’s still annoying but you can’t compare the two
@@bradyjohnson4079 Actually as a voter and a citizen I can compare the two. The government should figure out how to help it's citizens not profit of of their addictions.
@@bradyjohnson4079 You're still saying the government is more interested in money than helping you or any of us. And actually, most rail infrastructure and healthcare services pay for themselves over time.
I live in a subburb of Las Vegas. There are slot machines everywhere in Nevada. The airports, gas stations, grocery stores... They are so ubiquitous that they become part of the background (at least for those of us with zero interest in gambling).
I was at a bar the other night. 3 TVs on 3 separate sports channels. One going over college basketball props, one going over all of the offerings for the Super Bowl, and the 3rd covering (no pun) over/unders for the slate of NBA games that night. Used to be pre-game talk about stats, coaches' strategies, and injury reports. Now it's just lines spreads and over/unders.
nobody cares we trynna get paid out there
The animation quality and production value of these videos is outstanding.
During the last election California had two ballot measures which would have expanded gambling options in the state. Both were rejected by pretty large margins. My inner optimist that this is a sign that the state might buck the trend, but my inner cynic say this will only be a temporary setback that the gambling companies will ultimately get around.
My belief why they both failed is that they ran negative campaign ads so much that the voters saw and rejected them on election day.
Don’t worry. It’s because of the assholes that run the booths to get people to sign referendums to the election. Those guys will pester you so much you end up signing to get them from bothering you any further.
If your state has a lottery then its probably only inevitable. I always find it weird that governments that have outlawed so many forms of gambling are themselves gambling corporations through the lottery and responsible for so many destroyed lives. (NY justifies it by saying the profits go towards education or something, and to that i ask why not just implement another tax to the already mile long tax book instead of taxing the poorest demographics through gambling?)
It’ll always be a game of cat n mouse with these things. Regulation catches up and then comes a time of before the new loop hole is found and the cycle repeats
It doesn’t seem right to control what people do. Especially if it isn’t causing direct harm to others. I see the argument that you can become addicted, but there should be a personal responsibility to make that choice yourself
As someone from the UK we have the same issue as Australia mentioned in this video, and gambling is literally everywhere in sport; almost every team, every sport radio, when port is on tv is just constant gambling adverts. It truly is a plague, especially when it's so common to cripple people's lives
I think it is better regulated here. The UK gambling commission does tend to come down hard when it thinks things are getting out of hand, though it's a bit sluggish. I've noticed sports betting shops like Coral and William Hill are less prevalent than they used to be, though whether that's down to people moving on online betting or increased restrictions on the location and density of such shops, I don't know. I am getting pissed off with the amount of ads though, I'd prefer to go back to the days when alcohol advertising was the norm on football jerseys and at half time. Though crypto companies have now stated showing up, which is a whole other kettle of fish.
@@Croz89 Problem gambling is about 8% in Australia and about 2.5% in the UK. I think the main difference is regulation of slot matchines - like in the video, if you took slot machines out of the Australia average gambling it would still be bigger than the US, but not by much.
As a Pom living in Australia currently it’s mental how much gambling there are in the pubs, maybe one fruit machine in uk pub here there will be at least 20+ and all high stakes. Free snacks and smoking pokies rooms available.
Average gambling spend per adult per year in the UK is under $300, and falling year on year (and about ⅓ of that is national lottery). So it does seem that people here aren't that keen on gambling despite the industry's best efforts.
Canada too, especially in Ontario where advertisements for such were given more leeway. 3:20 History and origins. 8:00 Proliferation. 13:45 Losses and locations. 19:25 Public relations.
Good video, thanks for making and uploading. The ad that came on KZhead at the end was for a Daniel Negreanu Poker Masterclass interestingly enough. (I actually like his style - I'm interested in poker, though I almost never play, and would never actually bet on it. I've watched a number of tournaments on KZhead, and he seems like a likable fellow. Not that I'm signing up for the Masterclass!)
I'm really glad you covered Australia, Sam. I live in West Aus, and the physical gambling isn't that bad here. The only place with access to the pokies here is in the Crown Cassino. However, it is within a stone's throw of the city centre. WA put legislation in place long before I was born that prevented pubs and bars from installing and owning pokie machines. Online betting is absolutely atrocious, though. Every time I watch TV or KZhead now, I see ads for Sportsbet or Tab Touch or some other betting company, and I'm always baffled by the fact that it's not illegal.
As a 52-year-old man I've noticed changes in my lifetime. I can remember a government public service film from the 1950s talking about the importance of savings. Now, they don't want you to save, they need you in debt. There were practical and moral objections to gambling. Now, it's treated as entertainment. Throw in the legalization of some drugs, and I realize that just in my lifetime.. things that were not okay are now very okay.. and why? Money. Nothing more than money.
Well said.Its all about the Benjamin's!!
It is the only consideration of every decision being made.
I agree it's always money. Back then, anti-communism propaganda and countless coups existed solely to prop up capitalism and the power of capitalists despite it being against the interests of 99% of the population. They needed us to believe it actually was in our best interest and they succeeded.
@@HeidiThompson7 are you saying communism is within the interests of ninety-nine percent of the population? I hope you understand the fact that capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other economic system in history. Communism leads to death, poverty, and mass Graves.
@@rafiamirali9188 tell me you're in your 20s without telling me you're in your 20s. 😂 What you don't realize is, no... you didn't used to see those things. Ever. Now you do all the time. You just supported his point without even realizing it 🤦♂️
In the UK we have small gambling shops such as Ladbrokes or Paddy power and I always say you can tell how wealthy a area is by how many of these shops you pass, the more gambling shops the worse of the area
Never gamble anything you aren't fine with losing
Grew up across the street from a bus stop that only picked up and dropped off people once a month. It shuttled people to and from Reno Nevada. It operated the weekend after the first of the month. After older folks got their retirement check. I will never forget the faces of those people exiting the bus. Needless to say, I have never been one with a gambling problem.
They have this in my old hometown in WA state lol. It's pathetic what they do to seniors
@@thebeasters For sure!
No matter what the subject is, Wendover manages to produce the most fluid, natural commentary… I ADORE your content, and simply can’t take my eyes off once I’ve clicked on a video. Keep at it man…
Please consider making a video explaining the logistics issue behind southwest's massive flight cancellation during the holidays. Should be a great topic!
I'm a tax accountant, I see the lives ruined by gambling. I see retired millwrights selling their houses and moving into apartments in their 70s. I see attorneys and doctors working from Sunrise till midnight 7 days a week, just trying to stay out of repossession or utility shutoff.
There seems to be quite an uptick in NFL refs blowing calls or being very flag happy in certain matchups which Vegas had listed as high scoring.
Vegas won the last Super Bowl.
The NFL is rigged now, too many instances this season alone to prove otherwise.
So bet the under? When you are placing a bet you are betting against others not the casino. The casino will always adjust the odds so that even money will come in on each side and the get their %.
It’s becoming a nightmare here in Canada, Ontario has legalized it and I have been getting tons of sports betting ads despite how they could ruin my life
Correct it is open season on Ontario right now.
@@jacobdesilva9976 yup, and where I live in Toronto, it’s already bad enough socially here, I can’t wait to see how much worse it can get.
You know what’s ridiculous? TV sports gambling ads are broadcast to Canada’s other provinces despite it only being legal in Ontario!
@@dictatorofcanada4238 Jesus, now I feel bad for all the other provinces too except Quebec
@@Brent-jj6qi I now just realized they may be trying to prime us for when they believe sports gambling will be legalized in other provinces in the future.
The supreme court ruling wasn't that the federal govt. couldn't regulate gambling, it was that it couldn't make special exceptions for Nevada, New Jersey, and a couple other states, but make it illegal for other states. It was either all legal or all illegal and there was no chance of a federal law shutting down Vegas getting passed.
it would have been soo funny if this video was sponsored by Fan Duel or Draft Kings
Same here in Europe. You can't watch a sports event without betting advertising being rammed in your face
In Michigan in the US, same thing except it doesn't have to be during a sports event just everyday TV/cable programing , youtube, facebook etc
Yeah, I was kinda surprised that sports betting isn't legal in the US because as a European these obnoxious TV ads were rammed in my face for as long as I can remember until I stopped watching TV. And usually the EU is a lot more restrictive in what shady practices companies are allowed to do than the US (see the GDPR for example). Off-Topic: Two minutes after you posted your comment it got copied by a bot called "@tinkleme4se.x143" and upvoted by their botnet so theirs is the comment you see first when scrolling through the comments... unfortunate reality of the current state of KZhead
Damn here I thought Europe was a shining beacon of humanity where plagues that Americans invented (war, gambling, addiction) didn't exist!
The few times I watch tv here in Sweden 8 out of 15 ads are casinos and betting.
As too with Australia there seems to be a correlation of these countries and states with high debt, economic decline and deindustrialization...
Props to Sam for pronouncing Brisbane the right way. Also to add, the new casino will be Brisbane's second casino, the first casino being 2 blocks away. The state government practically encourages people to go too. All pubs/clubs aren't allowed to let patrons in after a certain time (2am I believe), the exception is the casino. So after having a night out, many people will head to the casino to finish the night as its the only place left to go. In regards to pokies/slot machines. Theres is basically always a machine within 10 minute walk from you. Its actually a problem for retirees as they often don't have anything to do so they'll go "down to the local" and put some money in. They've been integrated into our society for decades. They were an integral part of turning Rugby League into a major professional sport in Australia and many clubs still rely on the money made from the machines.
But he pronounced former MLB baseball commissioners last name Bud Selig wrong.
Brilliant important reportage/content.
Here on Brazil, Sports betting used loopholes as "Guessing the Result" online games to put theyselfes on Brazil, nowadays the sports broadcasting is filled with Betting ads and Last year, on our football/soccer league, it had 3 RIVAL betting companiess sponsoring ad boards on same game and an ACTUAL U-20 where some players dont have even 18 are being sponsored by a Betting Parlor that literally has "Luck" on its name implying that the betting house isnt about skill
Once the pivot happened, college and NFL pundits and broadcasting companies alike started pushing sports betting like CRAZY . Whereas just months before they couldn't mutter a word about sports gambling. I feel for anyone who loves sports but also has a gambling problem...must be a nightmare
You gotta put this one in your yearly mistakes video, Sam. North Carolina does not have legalized sports betting, but was highlighted in your map graphic at 5:38
HAI does that, not Wendover, maybe you should put that in your yearly mistakes video!
He may have meant on native land which I believe it is now
@@heidirabenau511 I can see how that might be confusing. So Sam from Wendover and HAI are actually the same person! Hope this helps
Late to the party, but this is a great video. When I drive through Phoenix now, all billboards fall into one of three categories: personal injury lawyers, weed dispensaries, and sports betting. It's everywhere.
TV advertising also
As someone who lives in Australia, I had absolutely no idea that Australia’s gambling was the worst in the world. I grew up watching my parents go and play a pokie machine whilst we were at a restaurant for dinner. I put my first bed on a sports game on an app the day I turned 18, nearly 10 years ago. It’s so ingrained in society it’s scary. *LOOK AT MY NAME*
THANK YOU BRO
Ironic that a a bot for sport bets stole this comment.
The worst part about the bookies is those who actually beat the book are never allowed to continue wagering. As soon as you’re seen as a threat / have a history of having an edge you’re limited
Gambling is so well ingrained into Aussie society that in my new community, (Greenfield, newbuilt) a pub/ bistro was just built and opened. The Pokies and sports bar (sports betting area) were opened before the rest of the pub was even finished. pretty crazy
I’ve noticed the exposure of sports gambling in recent months. It’s no surprise to see that its rise comes at a psychological cost of an individual that can turn them into an addict, pushing them towards debt, and generating potential homelessness unknowingly. As soon as pandora’s box of sports gambling opened, there is no going back, and that is well said on what is happening in America and abroad.
Was literally about to download one of those apps, thank you.
Australian here. When I was a kid we had a bit of an eccentric teacher who let us run our own casino in the classroom. I think he got pushback because we couldn't call it a "casino" but I reckon I've put about $20 through gambling in my entire adult life. God damn if it wasn't effective, at least for me. I also don't think I've ever seen my folks gamble. It's also hard to overstate the prevalence of gambling ads in Australia. I have real concern about what kids are picking up. I fear that this is going to be as transmissible a problem across generations as alcoholism or DV.
The fact that these companies in the Netherlands (who act the same) are all government companies is simply staggering
Ze zijn niet allemaal van de overheid toch toto en al die andere zijn toch gewoon privé?
@@tjakkobosma5872 Nee hoor, allemaal onderdeel van het ministerie van financien
In Australia they are basically one of the same. The government is addicted to it's revenue and it's (debt) stimulus.
Well government generally are more easily held accountable than companies, and governments aren't only thinking about profits, they also have to balance the books and look at what gambling is costing their people, or risk huge costs and lost income in other areas.
It's a tax on the undereducated and, because of how testosterone functions with regards to risk-taking and competitiveness, the tax is levied particularly heavily on undereducated males. The government is directly financially incentivized *against* performing one of its most important functions in a society: educating the next generation so their skills and knowledge can be used to improve the nation. Instead it is now desirable to ensure that a certain percentage of the population is never provided the tools required to not be fooled by the lure of fast wealth. Plus I guess it also helps that you can also sell them on joining the military and such, like the Americans do.
This idea of America going crazy over gambling is something that's been troubling me recently. This video is very informative and timely, so thank you for doing this work. I never knew gambling to be so wide spread. It used to be that people would hide their gambling habits, now it seems like everyone is doing it. The sports gambling especially is wild, because they make it seem so easy and convenient. You can't watch a video on youtube or a tv show without seeing SOME type of gambling advertisement, be it draft kings/fanduel or the state lottery. We're finding new and creative ways to scam people out of their hard earned money. I definitely don't want to see our gambling problem get as bad as Australia; I truly hope our governments can step in and help people save themselves.
What's kind of eerie, is I stopped watching sports in the US a few years back right as Draft Kings and Fan Duel were becoming ascendant. I had no idea how bad this got. This was eye opening.
I've been in australia for 6 months now and every single man I've met so far has talked to me about sports and their bets for the next game. It's astonishing to see this many people addicted to it. I think you can compare it to smoking in a away. But without the lung cancer.
Same. All the “VIP” lounges were weird to see. Probably the biggest culture shock for me as an American.
without the lung cancer but with the highest suicide rate of any addiction
I watch Wendover every week as you release new videos. This one didn't show up on my home page for over 4 days after release... interesting
I'm a football fan (soccer, as you US citizens like to call it) and it's baffling to me how this industry of betting has blown up here in South America for football. Betting in football (and subsequently in sports) has always been a thing but nothing as overwhelming as it is today. Just 10 to 8 years ago, bwin was the main major betting site/platform that I remember seeing often in football, through commercials or sponsorships, especially because it was one of Real Madrid's sponsors, one of the biggest club names in football, but that was it. Maybe I'm missing another betting site/platform from those years that had a big exposure as bwin but they can be counted with the fingers of one hand. However, nowadays commercial breaks between a match are filled with many betting sites/platforms, one after another, non-stop, and even many of the commercials displayed at the stadium's electronic boards are about betting. It went from a niche thing to see to being bombarded with it at every moment. And it's something that I started to be concerned about because, different from other things, like Coca-Cola for example for which you need to get out of your house in order to acquire the product, is that you can download the betting app in just few seconds, sign up and start betting right away, and even during the match, which of course hooks people even more. So far I haven't fallen into that rabbit hole because I don't really care about betting, I just want to enjoy the event itself and nothing else, but I feel like this betting obsession in general is making sports less enjoyable every time. I try to not think about it too much but people nowadays just care about the results more than ever because it can earn them money fast and "easy" but don't actually care about the event itself. I could go on a bit more but I don't want to write an essay here but in essence, the sports betting industry is something that is taking over many places and the US just happens to be one of them (if not the firestarter) and companies are taking advantage of something that is not fully covered by the law in many countries... yet, at least.
I’m so glad you covered Australia here too. It is a MASSIVE problem here. We very very nearly had slot machines in every single airport
As a father of a 6 year old, Im not at all happy that sports broadcasts and sports media is now dominated by sports betting ads with broadcast commentary actually working betting metrics into their discussions. Our kids are going to grow up with sports gambling being the social normal, and I'm not ok with that.
easy solution: fuck sports broadcasts, don't let her watch it. Get her into esports if it has to be a competition-thing, otherwise there are plenty of ways to provide her ad-free content.
Id like to add its also just annoying to have every other ad be about sports betting. I'll never understand how its legal to advertise beer and gambling during commercial breaks but with tobacco that was crossing a line. Itd be one thing if they had 18+ or 21+ broadcasts, but when they are intended for all ages it seems odd to me
Your point about it being a destination, not a convenience, is very true, which makes it disappointing that a new casino was just built just 5 minutes north of Boston, with transit access. Not to mention sports betting was legalized just this year
Many major cities in the US have casinos in downtown districts or very close (less than 30 minutes away), including DC.
and to remind u alot of convenient stores has gambling machines also, especially the hood corner stores
If you watch as many sporting events as I do, this was not quiet at all. It feels like every commercial break includes at least one ad for an app where you can place bets on just about anything. Always remember: if you could win as easily as these ads suggest, this industry would not be profitable enough for more and more online casinos to open up. The house always wins.
"Always remember: if you could win as easily as these ads suggest, this industry would not be profitable enough for more and more online casinos to open up. The house always wins." I always have this in mind