Losing Big: Sports Betting & Gambling Addiction – Jonathan D. Cohen

Historian and author Jonathan D. Cohen joins Forrest to talk sports gambling, the explosion of betting apps, how we got here legally, and who's actually getting hurt. They dig into the history of sports betting, parlays and "sports lotteries," the role of fantasy sports and social media, and why governments keep pretending gambling money will fix everything from schools to water shortages. Forrest also opens up about his own life as a compulsive gambler—bookies, casinos, offshore accounts, shame, and the illusion that one big score will finally make it all okay. It's raw, funny, and packed with real stories about betting apps, parlays, debt, bankruptcies, suicide risk, and what other countries are already doing to rein gambling in—plus practical ideas for making sports betting safer without pretending it's going away. 🎧 If you're betting on your phone "just for fun," chasing parlays to fix money problems, or worried about someone you love, this episode hits hard and still makes you laugh. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on addiction, recovery, mental health, and comedy. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 4:20 I've Got Another Problem: littering, oceans & Yellowstone diaper revenge 8:23 Introducing historian Jonathan D. Cohen & his very normal "problem" 11:10 Board games, loss-chasing & what made Jonathan obsessed with gambling policy 13:00 How sports betting grew up with sports: horse racing, Fenway riots & early scandals 17:40 Parlays, sports "lotteries" and why tiny bets with huge payouts are so dangerous 22:05 DraftKings, FanDuel & how daily fantasy quietly trained us to gamble 26:32 Why U.S. regulation is so lax compared to Australia and the U.K. 31:10 Tennis at 3 a.m., Malaysian badminton & betting on games you don't even watch 37:05 College campuses, payday deposits & who's really getting wrecked by legal betting 44:05 Lotteries, "free money" myths & how states quietly cut education anyway 51:00 The NFL's 180 on gambling and why viewership suddenly jumped 57:20 Gambling addiction, shame, masculinity & why big wins can be the worst thing 1:06:40 Making sports betting safer: friction, self-exclusion & real guardrails 1:15:03 Outro Jonathan D. Cohen is a historian and the author of "Losing BIg: America's Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling." People can find more info about his book or contact him through his website: https://www.jonathandcohen.com/