Bet the Harm

“Readers may be quick to dismiss these developments as harmless. Many sports fans enjoy betting on the game, they say. Is it such a big deal if they do it with a company rather than their friends? A growing body of social-science literature suggests that, yes, this is in fact quite different. The rise of sports gambling has caused a wave of financial and familial misery, one that falls disproportionately on the most economically precarious households. Six years into the experiment, the evidence is convincing.” Charles Fain Lehman in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Legalizing Sports Gambling Was a Huge Mistake. (I admit I have a bit of confirmation bias on this topic. I’ve been betting it wouldn’t go well.)