What’s Really Driving the Gambling Expansion?

The New York Times recently ran a series of pieces criticizing the expansion of gambling, specifically sports betting. Given the proliferation of wagering’s presence in popular culture stemming from the 2018 Supreme Court decision that found the “Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act” unconstitutional, leaving regulation to the states, it’s a timely series. The act had pushed gambling offshore and into the black market, its purpose ostensibly to protect sports organizations from the malign influence of that vice of chance. Sports betting’s reintroduction into the realm of acceptability has gone about as well as one might expect a financially destructive but entertaining pastime to go — it’s ugly at times, but ordered liberty does have a disorderly side.

Broadly condemning the gambling sector, the Times picks out lobbyists and public figures such as Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy as the reason for sports gambling’s expansion into our Chrome tabs, malls, and app stores.

About the Author

Luther Ray Abel

Luther Ray Abel is an Associate Editor for National Review. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Luther is a proud native of Sheboygan, Wis.

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The New York Times recently ran a series of pieces criticizing the expansion of gambling, specifically sports betting. Given the proliferation of wagering’s presence in popular culture stemming from the 2018 Supreme Court decision that found the “Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act” unconstitutional, leaving regulation to the states, it’s a timely series. The act had pushed gambling offshore and into the black market, its purpose ostensibly to protect sports organizations from the malign influence of that vice of chance. Sports betting’s reintroduction into the realm of acceptability has gone about as well as one might expect a financially destructive but entertaining pastime to go — it’s ugly at times, but ordered liberty does have a disorderly side.

Broadly condemning the gambling sector, the Times picks out lobbyists and public figures such as Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy as the reason for sports gambling’s expansion into our Chrome tabs, malls, and app stores.