As gambling becomes legitimized across the US, a look at the rise of gambling on smartphones, leading some to financial catastrophe and addiction
Financial catastrophe is now only a few clicks away, a problem that is showing quiet signs of becoming a crisis. “I can't just get rid of my phone,” one problem gambler says. Tweets: @maxwellstrachan , @tomgara , @viceasia , @profcarroll , @rossbarkan , @maxwellstrachan , @billmilleraga , and @maxwellstrachan Tweets: Maxwell / @maxwellstrachan : The sudden rise of mobile gambling is leaving people ruined and unable to resist the temptation on their phones, so much so that experts and gamblers alike tell me they are worried about an oncoming national crisis. https://www.vice.com/... Tom Gara / @tomgara : Gambling is really one of those things, like recreational drugs, where even if it's legalized you want some degree of friction / barriers to entry etc, not an ultra efficient industry that maximizes market size https://twitter.com/... @viceasia : Financial catastrophe is now only a few clicks away, a problem that is showing quiet signs of becoming a crisis. “I can't just get rid of my phone,” one problem gambler says. https://www.vice.com/... David Carroll / @profcarroll : Important topic indeed but this treatment neglects the data brokering and behavioral targeting to a single vague sentence about “aggressive marketing tactics” but we need much more curiosity about how targeting compulsive gamblers really works. #DataRights https://www.vice.com/... Ross Barkan / @rossbarkan : Sadly not surprised. The major sports leagues and most states rushed headlong in legalized mobile sports betting, pretending their would no repercussions. A gambling addiction is like a drug addiction. In some ways, it's even worse. https://twitter.com/... Maxwell / @maxwellstrachan : For this piece, I spoke with people who have recently entered Gamblers Anonymous. All of them became addicted to gambling via their phones, which they said made it easier to hide and harder to quit. The effects on both their finances and relationships were heartbreaking. https://twitter.com/... Bill Miller / @billmilleraga : Stories like this are reasons for, not against, regulated wagering options. They're also a prime example of why we must combat illegal, offshore operators. https://www.vice.com/... Maxwell / @maxwellstrachan : Experts increasingly see the simultaneous rise of online sports betting, online casinos (legal or not), cryptocurrency trading, and online day trading as the same root thing—gambling—with the same root issues. https://www.vice.com/...