#1757 Life is But a Game (that you can now bet on)

#1757 Life is But a Game (that you can now bet on)

Author: Best of the Left: Perspectives on Politics, Culture, and Economics December 14, 2025 Duration: 3:13:48

Air Date 12/14/2025

Albert Einstein said, "Life is just like a game, first you have to learn rules of the game, and then play it better then any one else." (Or just get some insider knowledge about which team is paid off to lose and bet on the game rather than playing it, am I right?) Now, while it's well known that sports gambling has great potential to corrupt the game, I'm sure being able to bet on literally anything in life all the time right from your phone with billionaires funding persuasion campaigns to convince you to do it will probably work out fine.

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Full Show Notes

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: America Is Losing Big on Sports Betting Part 1 - The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Air Date 8-11-25

KP 2: The Nuzzi-Lizza Show & CNN's Prediction Play - The Powers That Be: Daily - Air Date 12-5-25

KP 3: Welcome to the Casino Economy - On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti - Air Date 11-13-25

KP 4: Is the Sports Betting Industry a Huge Mistake? - Good Work - Air Date 2-9-24

KP 5: Why The New Gambling Epidemic Should Terrify You - GEN - Air Date 11-8-25


(00:46:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On Best of the Left turning 20!


DEEPER DIVES

(00:49:22) SECTION A: GAMBLING ON EVERYTHING

(01:30:27) SECTION B: THE UBIQUITY OF SPORTS BETTING

(01:56:28) SECTION C: SPORTS BETTING IS BAD FOR SPORTS

02:34:14) SECTION D: GAMIFYING LIFE

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Photo of a man staring up at multiple screens showing sports betting updates, along with a live football and hockey game, above the betting counter in a Las Vegas casino.

Credit: "Sports Betting at a Las Vegas Casino" by Baishampayan Ghose, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

 

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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For over fifteen years, Best of the Left-Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy has served as a vital, human-curated digest of voices from across the progressive spectrum. Instead of presenting a single opinion, each episode is built around a specific theme-from economic inequality to climate policy to cultural shifts-and weaves together insightful commentary from a diverse array of journalists, activists, and thinkers. This approach allows you to efficiently grasp the nuances of complex issues by hearing multiple expert angles in one sitting, all while discovering new commentators and sources you might not have encountered otherwise. The result is a richly layered analysis that algorithms simply cannot replicate, offering depth and context often missing from the daily news cycle. Since 2006, this award-winning podcast has cut through the noise, drawing from hundreds of independent and established sources to provide a coherent, thoughtful examination of the forces shaping our society and governments. Tuning in means joining a long-running conversation dedicated to understanding and advancing democratic principles, social justice, and a more equitable economy, all through the focused lens of leftist thought.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
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