Wanna Bet on It? The Business, Culture, & Consequences of Sports Gambling
A Supreme Court decision in 2018 forever transformed the landscape of sports fandom. For the first time, fans could gamble on games legally; the outcomes of every detail of every contest across a multitude of sports was available to wager on. Sports betting and its platforms today comprise an industry worth over $100 billion worldwide. While sports betting has increased engagement among fans, it has also raised many questions, such as: How does legalized betting transform the way fans follow their favorite sports and teams? Does having money on the line compromise the enjoyment of the game itself? How does it affect athletes‘ knowledge that their game-day performance might have a financial impact on millions of people?
After the first Monday Night Football game of the upcoming NFL season, join us for a Conversation with Jonathan D. Cohen, author of Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling; and gaming analyst, CBS Sports pundit, and co-owner of the “Bet the Board” podcast, Todd Fuhrman.
Jonathan D. Cohen
Joan and Irwin Jacobs Senior Program Officer for American Institutions, Society, and the Public Good at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Jonathan Cohen is the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Senior Program Officer for American Institutions, Society, and the Public Good at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He is the author of For a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America as well as the co-editor of Long Walk Home: Reflections on Bruce Springsteen, and All In: The Spread of Gambling in Twentieth-Century United States. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and many other outlets. He lives in New Haven, CT.
Todd Fuhrman
Gaming Analyst, CBS Interactive; Co-owner, "Bet the Board" Podcast
A former Caesars Sportsbook oddsmaker, Todd Fuhrman is a quintessential Vegas insider, professional bettor, and one of the industry’s most trusted voices. He currently works for CBS HQ as their leading gaming analyst breaking down games and industry content in a way few personalities can. He’s also the former host of the popular “Bet the Board” podcast and starred on network television’s first sports betting show, “Lock It In,” on FS1. Todd has a background in financial analysis and started in the gaming industry right out of college with Caesars Entertainment working on diverse projects that included table game utilization, slot marketing, and World Series of Poker expansion proposals.