Addressed the problems caused by the growing sports betting industry and called for changes. The Last Week Tonight host spoke about how the process of “picking winners and losers” has become such a huge business in the US with constant commercials surrounding Americans. “You’re not crazy for thinking those ads are inescapable,” he said.
Over $434 million was made in the last year alone, and while it is “generally harmless” for most people, for some it has become a major part of their lives. “You can gamble all the time on just about anything and people do,” he said.
The number of bankruptcies in states that now allow it has increased by 28% following the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to lift the ban. Betting has also helped the sports industry because people are more likely to take part in even the smallest games with the worst teams. According to him, “People will always be more engaged if they have a personal vested interest in what they’re watching.” With lucrative licensing deals on top, it has been “a big win for sports leagues.” The NFL made $132 million last year from sponsorships related to gambling. They also used licensing data to obtain an additional $120 million to help set odds. As a result of smartphone apps, individuals are “constantly nudged to bet on everything” and “ordinary people are getting exposed to extreme levels of gambling they might never have otherwise encountered.” It’s mostly affected young men who are offered free money if they sign up yet with “tons of small print” meaning the deals are never quite as great as they sound.
It’s also led to a rise in gambling-related abuse with players criticised online if people lose.
Oliver says that in the United States, 1 percent of adults have a serious gambling problem, while 2 to 3 percent have a mild or moderate problem. 7.5 to 10 million individuals. He stated that “betting until all your money has gone can be scarily easy to do when the casino is literally inside your pocket” and that it is “not a tragic side effect of this industry, it’s based into the business model.” The industry also finds ways of “weeding out winning customers” but this same data “could presumably identify those with addiction problems and direct them toward help”.
He went on to say that “every part of this system is set up to lure gamblers in and keep them playing” and that “everyone in the sports world has now become compromised by an industry that can prey on its most vulnerable customers with incredible precision” due to advertising connections. Because it’s so easy to play, people can lose money all day. “It shouldn’t be this easy to lose this much,” he said.
However, even though some states have laws in place to protect citizens, these laws aren’t enforced as much as they should be, such as the state programs that allow gambling addicts to sign up to stop betting. Before stating that the advertisements “should have to be much more reflective of what these companies do to people,” he stated, “We can change the trajectory here, we did it with cigarette advertising.”
