Back in 2015, I was a young reporter tasked with covering daily fantasy, the latest fad in the sports world that also functioned as a clever loophole around what was then a nearly nationwide ban on sports gambling.
Fantasy sports, including daily fantasy, were exempt from these bans. The companies profiting off daily fantasy argued that fantasy sports were based on skill, rather than chance. But as looked into daily fantasy, (opens in a new tab)I realized that including it in the fantasy sports category was at best, vaguely misleading and, at worst, a total misnomer. This wasn't some fantasy league with old college friends and a $20 entry fee. It was gambling by another name. You'd put money down with a website and, based on players' (not teams') performance, you'd either win or, more often, lose. If we're allowing this, I reckoned, people are going to realize(opens in a new tab) it's dumb to ban traditional sports gambling.
Even then, barely out of school with all the requisite naïveté, I could see the future and the future was widespread, legal sports gambling. It was as obvious as a ball-peen hammer to the head.
Fast forward to 2023, and sports gambling is everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Sports betting is now legal in 35 states(opens in a new tab), with some form of mobile, online betting permitted in 25 states. Legalization legalizing sports gambling in more states is likely on the way. Even if you live in a state where it's currently illegal, sports gambling is still unavoidable in the media landscape, more so than I could've even imagined eight years ago.
The rapid legalization of sports gambling over the past four years triggered a gold rush as major players like FanDuel and DraftKings — the erstwhile daily fantasy shops — and traditional casinos like Caesars, and MGM fight for market share in sports gambling. Nearly every league, broadcast, and team has some partnership with a gambling shop. Less than a decade ago, these same entities treated sports gambling as a topic you just didn't talk about for all the obvious moral and integrity reasons. But once the dollars started flowing, we went from complete prohibition to come-one, come-all carnival barking.
The gambling boom is most unavoidable on podcasts. Freaking. Podcasts. It is nearly impossible to find a major sports show that doesn't have a gambling app as either an advertiser or as its presenting sponsor. That means the hosts are hawking special sign-on deals (get $20 in free bets!), or special bets (the odds are boosted for our listeners!), or doing ad reads about making the games more interesting...via gambling. And you know what? It worked on me. I'd never gambled on sports before, but after listening to ad after ad on my favorite podcasts, I gave in. It's not something I've done often. I've placed $5-10 wagers here and there, just to see. But still: I was influenced.
Because gambling is a dangerous hobby if you're not responsible, the warnings, hotline numbers, and legal compliance readings on these podcasts are as endless as the ads themselves. These companies want you to start risking your cash, but they're also legally obligated to remind you it can lead to financial ruin so, you know, get help if you need it. That means the hosts have to power through blocks of legalese and endless phone numbers for state-specific gambling help-lines.
You could, in theory, fast-forward past these ads. But they happen multiple times per podcast and sometimes your hands are busy cooking, or running, or driving, or whatever, and you're stuck. I got to my breaking point catching up on podcasts ahead of the start of the NBA playoffs this week. Here is an ad read — which I transcribed in its entirety for dramatic effect — from the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast(opens in a new tab), one of the most popular and influential sports podcasts from the head of The Ringer.
"The NBA playoffs are here and you can turn crossovers into cash with FanDuel. Just visit FanDuel.com/bs right now to place a $5 bet and you'll get an instant $150 in bonus bets, win or lose. I think either Friday or Saturday — probably Friday, maybe Saturday — I'm going to do a big parlay for a couple of the Saturday Game 1 games. FanDuel, maybe we can get them to boost it. I'll have to talk them into it. FanDuel, they have classics: spread, moneyline, over/unders. But if you want to mess around they also have great promotions every day. I'm going to really try to get them to boost some stuff during Round 1. It's all on a safe and secure app that pays you instantly when you win. There is no better place to bet all the playoff action than America's No. 1 sportsbook. Just go to FanDuel.com/bs and sign up to get $150 in bonus bets when you bet your first five bucks. FanDuel, official sports betting partner of the NBA.
[Writer's Note: buckle-up for disclosure city.]
You must be 21+ and present in select states. First online, real-money wager only, $10 deposit required. Refund issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See full terms at FanDuel.com/sportsbook. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-gambler. Hope is here. In Massachusetts visit gamblinghelplineMA.org or call 1-800-327-5050 for 24/7 support. In New York call 1-8778-hopeNY or text 'hope NY.' FanDuel is offering online sports wagering in Kansas under an agreement with Kansas Star Casino, LLC. In Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, or Virginia call 1-800-gambler or visit Fanduel.com/rg. Call 1-800-nextstep or text 'next step' to 53342 in Arizona. In Connecticut call 1-88-7897777 or visit ccpg.org/chat. In Indiana, 1-800-9-withit. In Kansas, 1-800-522-4700 or visit ksgamblinghelp.com. Louisiana, 877-770-stop. In Maryland, visit mdgamblinghelp.org. In Wyoming 800-522-4700. In West Virginia, visit 1800gambler.net."
That is 323 words of either gambling ads or disclosures. In total, the ad and ensuing legalese took Simmons two minutes and about 18 seconds to read. And that's just one ad from the podcast. Oftentimes pods can have multiple gambling ads per episode. This is not something unique to any one show; it's the industry norm.
It's strikingly similar to what happened when the U.S. ended a different form of prohibition back in the '30s. I dug up a 1933 article from the The United States News(opens in a new tab) about the end of alcohol prohibition and it felt quite resonant. The article primarily raised questions about what was to come with alcohol's reintroduction to society. Who will regulate alcohol? How will taxation work? How will different alcohol producers try to corner the market, even as some states legalize alcohol and others do not?
That's literally what happened — and what's still happening — with sports gambling. Each state was left to handle the issue as they saw fit. So, just as states differed on how to regulate and tax alcohol, leading to a patchwork of limitations, disclosures, and policies, states are left with the same questions for sports gambling. There are few nationwide limits(opens in a new tab) on gambling advertising in the U.S., so that means you can get pounded by the sheer number of ads. The betting firms and publishers, however, still want to cover their asses, so the legalese portion of the ad incorporates the requirements of individual state laws where sports gambling is permitted. Many of these states have their own hotlines and resources on the dangers of gambling, each of which is read out in the ad. The list will grow longer as more states open up access to sports gambling.
I tweeted Thursday about the scourge of gambling ads on sports pods and it quickly racked up hundreds of likes. And I'm far from the only person to notice, and complain about, the issue.
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The issue obviously isn't limited just to podcasts, but it's a primary medium for my sports consumption these days, so I really notice it. Plus, with pods, you're closely listening for just one hour or so, so you feel it more than, say, a three-hour TV game broadcast you're half watching.
I'm not sure there's a fix to the problem. We're already too far down this road to turn back. Plus it's a good thing that podcast hosts have to read off all those hotline numbers. If people need help, then I hope they know where to find it after listening to a disclaimer that's more than a minute long.
But the flip itself, from sports gambling being strictly verboten on official channels to the main way we discuss sports, remains very jarring. Find me a sports podcast that doesn't talk about betting lines, over/unders, favorites, long shots, etc. and I'd be shocked. Simmons became a media mogul, in part, because he was one of the few high-profile pundits who openly talked about gambling before legalization. Ditto with Barstool Sports. Now it's so present in all sports media that it's annoying. And the problem is only getting worse. Gambling advertisers spent 40 percent more in 2022(opens in a new tab) than they did they year prior.
Over in the U.K., where legal sports gambling has been an institution for far longer, they've grown tired of it enough to take action. The Premier League — the biggest and best soccer league in the world — announced they'd no longer(opens in a new tab) allow teams to have gambling firms advertise on the front of jerseys. I'm skeptical that American leagues would ever voluntarily take such action — again, this is America, pal, where capitalism is next to god — but the audience fatigue is real.
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Perhaps we'll get used to it. Here I am, writing about the ads sucking the life out of podcasts, and yet they've worked on me.
I've used the exact app Simmons' podcast — and many, many others — have pummeled into my ears. Gambling is not going away. If anything, there are more states to conquer, more customers to entice. For the time being, I guess we'll just have to remember to keep our fingers free for the fast forward button.
