Danny Funt’s book on the cost of legalised sports betting in America

In publishing circles, people are talking about “Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling,” a work by journalist Danny Funt devoted to the consequences of legalizing sports betting in the United States. The book’s three core theses intertwine into a single picture: after a landmark Supreme Court decision, the betting market became ubiquitous, advertising aggressively normalized gambling behavior, and the total harm to people, sports, and society outweighs any benefits.

Betting has become the backdrop to every game

While reading the book, the reviewer decided to track ad exposures to FanDuel, DraftKings, and similar services during short breaks spent scrolling social media and watching TV. In a few hours, there were 17 ad impressions. If the count had also been kept outside work, the number would have multiplied many times over. This little experiment became a vivid illustration of how “inescapable” betting has become in Americans’ everyday lives.

What changed after Murphy v. NCAA

Less than ten years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Murphy v. NCAA, striking down the federal ban that prevented states from legalizing sports betting. The market instantly went mainstream: sportsbook platforms integrated into sports broadcasts, social media, and partnership programs of pro leagues, the NCAA, and individual teams. Former athletes appear in ads, and it’s impossible to watch a game without being reminded that you can place a bet on the very game on screen.

The question the book asks

Funt frames a simple, unsettling question: “What do we stand to gain, and what are we willing to lose?” By the end of the book, the answer becomes unambiguous: only a handful of sportsbook companies profit, and everyone else loses.

Addiction and personal losses

The rise of betting addiction, especially among young men, has become one of the book’s major pain points. The problem goes far beyond a “lack of willpower”: app interfaces, bonus mechanics, and free starter funds for newcomers are designed to build a habit that is hard to break.

Psychologists say that free cash no deposit casinos in Canada, the U.S., or Mexico condition users into feeling betting is safe. And bonus incentives from sportsbooks do the same. The shift to betting with one’s own money ultimately doesn’t come with a corresponding sense of responsibility. Users continue to treat the process lightly, which leads at best to financial losses and at worst to the formation of addiction. This is confirmed by numerous concrete examples.

Matt, an elementary school teacher, started betting during the pandemic simply out of boredom. First it was fantasy sports, then bets on cricket and Middle Eastern soccer. In a year and a half, he lost more than $100,000, burning through his wife’s salary and money relatives had set aside for a down payment on a house. His story is far from unique. Funt collected dozens of similar accounts, and in almost every case the leading apps acted as a catalyst, treating customers not as vulnerable people, but as revenue sources.

Pressure on athletes and a wave of scandals

The legalization of betting has turned ordinary in-game moments into potential flashpoints for abuse. A basketball player who misses a shot or a female soccer player who fails to score risks facing racist and sexist insults, threats, and even stalking from enraged bettors whose bets lost.

At the same time, doubts about the integrity of competitions are growing. Nearly every major sport in the U.S. in recent years has gone through scandals tied to betting and misaligned incentives. The lifetime ban of NBA player Jontay Porter, who was deliberately missing shots because of gambling debts, became just one of the high-profile episodes.

A panorama of “losers” as a map of how the system works

The book’s strength lies in the breadth of its scope. Funt builds a kind of map of the ecosystem, where each chapter is devoted to a separate group of those harmed:

• addicted players and their families, wrecked by hidden addiction;
• athletes who have become targets of abuse;
• college students burdened with debt;
• “professional” bettors sacrificing health and social life for the slightest edge;
• media and leagues losing trust with each new sponsorship integration;
• the sportsbooks themselves, whose business model is built on keeping losing bettors hooked.

A portrait of a person who seems to be winning

Isaac Rose-Berman, an analyst in his early twenties, makes thousands of dollars by studying micro-details like a particular tennis player’s serve. He recognizes the harm of the industry and even speaks to schoolchildren with warnings, yet he pays for it with his health and personal life. Sportsbooks, however, quickly limit or ban consistently winning customers, forcing them to look for workarounds. The apps are finely tuned to retain precisely those who are losing, and VIP customers who lose thousands a week are no less vulnerable than everyone else: gambling runs on palpable risk, and status provides no immunity.

Sports media hooked on betting ads

Financially vulnerable newsrooms found a lifeline in sportsbook advertising, but the price has been an erosion of journalistic responsibility. Bill Simmons, one of the most influential sports commentators, regularly does ad reads and romanticizes betting, but discusses scandals in passing and defensively. He reduced the story of Jontay Porter to “he’s just an idiot,” brushing off systemic risks.

Monetizing every second

Every shot, pass, and kick has been turned into a cue to wager. A bet makes the viewer the main character, replacing a shared experience with an individual chase for winnings and intensifying alienation. The book’s verdict is unsparing: a narrow circle of sportsbook companies makes billions, while addiction, debt, harassment, a crisis of trust, and reputational losses are spread across society.

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