Air Date: 12-14-2025

Albert Einstein said, "Life is just like a game, first you have to learn rules of the game, and then play it better then any one else." (Or just get some insider knowledge about which team is paid off to lose and bet on the game rather than playing it, am I right?) Now, while it's well known that sports gambling has great potential to corrupt the game, I'm sure being able to bet on literally anything in life all the time right from your phone with billionaires funding persuasion campaigns to convince you to do it will probably work out fine.

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: America Is Losing Big on Sports Betting Part 1 - The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Air Date 8-11-25

KP 2: The Nuzzi-Lizza Show & CNN’s Prediction Play - The Powers That Be: Daily - Air Date 12-5-25

KP 3: Welcome to the Casino Economy - On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti - Air Date 11-13-25

KP 4: Is the Sports Betting Industry a Huge Mistake? - Good Work - Air Date 2-9-24

KP 5: Why The New Gambling Epidemic Should Terrify You - GEN - Air Date 11-8-25

(00:46:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On Best of the Left turning 20!

DEEPER DIVES

(00:49:22) SECTION A: GAMBLING ON EVERYTHING

A1: Exposing the Gambling Epidemic - Coffeezilla - Air Date 10-30-25

A2: The Financialization of Everything W/ Edward Ongweso Jr Part 1 - Tech Won't Save Us with Paris Marx - Air Date 11-17-23

A3: Kyla Scanlon on the Casino Economy - Quest Means Business - Air Date 11-13-25

A4: Polymarket and the Rise of Political Betting - Front Burner - Air Date 12-24-24

A5: America (Accidentally) Turned Stocks Into a Casino - Slidebean - Air Date 3-12-25

(01:30:27) SECTION B: THE UBIQUITY OF SPORTS BETTING

B1: The 'Sports Betting' Epidemic, Explained - Grant Rudow - Air Date 9-14-25

B2: Sports Betting: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - LastWeekTonight - Air Date 3-17-25

B3: America Is Losing Big on Sports Betting Part 2 - The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Air Date 8-11-25

(01:56:28) SECTION C: SPORTS BETTING IS BAD FOR SPORTS

C1: NBA's Top Gambler Has a Solution — and a Warning | PTFO - PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT - Air Date 11-6-25

C2: Why the MLB Has NO Excuses for Recent Gambling Scandal | Bomani Jones - The Right Time with Bomani Jones 11-25-25

C3: What Everyone Gets Wrong About Gambling on Sports - Extranet Shaquille - Air Date 2-5-25

C4: Why the NBA Gambling Scandal Should TERRIFY the League | Bomani Jones - The Right Time with Bomani Jones - Air Date 10-27-25

(02:34:14) SECTION D: GAMIFYING LIFE

D1: The Financialization of Everything W/ Edward Ongweso Jr Part 2 - Tech Won't Save Us with Paris Marx - Air Date 11-17-23

D2: How Social Media Apps Keep You Addicted to Your Phone - The Guardian - Air Date 1-15-25

D3: The Magic Economics of Gambling - Wendover Productions - Air Date 10-30-18

D4: Kalshi's Extremely Dark Vision For The Future - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 12-4-25

D5: Big Tech Is Betting on Gambling and Scams - Voidzilla - Air Date 12-5-25

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Photo of a man staring up at multiple screens showing sports betting updates, along with a live football and hockey game, above the betting counter in a Las Vegas casino.

Credit: “Sports Betting at a Las Vegas Casino” by Baishampayan Ghose, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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