The Sports-Betting Boom Is a Moral Disaster
Who really benefits from the legalization of online gambling?
About five years ago, I traveled for work to Las Vegas, where, at the behest of a friend who would almost certainly fit the New York State Office of Addiction Services’ definition of a problem gambler, I collected on a bet. My friend had placed the wager at a somewhat down-market sportsbook the last time he had been in town—a frequent occurrence, from what I gather—but for one reason or another, he was unable to retrieve his winnings in person. “Make sure you get a drink,” my friend told me. “They’re free.”
I didn’t mind doing this favor. The was almost totally invisible to me, and I now realize that by helping my friend, and listening to his lengthy monologues
