Sports betting as a public health crisis?

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April 12, 2026 Check out STAT+

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By Torie Bosch First Opinion editor

The “First Opinion Podcast” is back for a new spring season, and we’re trying something a little different: This season, each episode will focus on the intersection of culture and medicine. For the premiere episode, I spoke with Isaac Rose-Berman about his argument that the rise of sports betting may begat a public health crisis. Isaac, a fellow at the American Institute for Boys and Men, says that the explosion of sports betting has two kinds of threats: financial, as some wager their financial present (and future), and mental health, as compulsive behavior leads to anxiety, depression, and even suicide. Subscribe, take a listen, and let me know what other guests you’d like to hear this season. Recommendation of the week: The first three episodes of “The Testaments,” the sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” are out. So far, I’m enjoying it — particularly because we are getting far fewer (though not zero) closeups of Elisabeth Moss making intense/determined faces.

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