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As part of Problem Gambling Awareness Month, I spoke with former NBA player Randy Livingston and his wife, sports agent Anita Ondine Smith. They talked to me about how they dealt with Livingston’s gambling addiction and their efforts to help people as responsible gaming ambassadors for FanDuel. Trusted Voices: Conversations About Betting is a sponsor of this newsletter and podcast.
Ondine Smith recently published a book called ASSIST: How to Help a Loved One with a Gambling Problem Without Losing Yourself:
From a press release:
“…Smith brings a deeply personal perspective to an issue too often discussed only through the lens of the person struggling with addiction. ASSIST shifts the focus to the people standing beside them: the spouses, partners, parents, children, friends, coaches, and colleagues who are often left carrying the fear, confusion, secrecy, and exhaustion that problem gambling creates.
Part compassionate guide and part practical roadmap, the book offers support for those trying to help someone they love without losing their own stability in the process. Readers will learn how to recognize warning signs, start productive conversations without triggering defensiveness, understand treatment and recovery options, set healthy boundaries, navigate denial and relapse, support at-risk young people, safeguard their own well-being, and decide when to keep fighting for the relationship or step back.
Smith’s insight comes from extensive research, science-backed findings, and lived experience. She supported her husband through his recovery from gambling addiction, giving the couple a firsthand understanding of both sides of gambling harm: the person gambling in an unhealthy way, and the person beside them, trying to help them get help.
“You cannot control someone else’s gambling,” said Randy Livingston. “But you can change how you respond, and that can change everything. Anita and I have used my journey with gambling addiction to help families have proactive, informed conversations about gambling. Some battles are too big to face alone. You need help, and this book fills a critical gap in the recovery process.”
“When I was navigating Randy’s gambling addiction, I searched for guidance and found almost nothing for the people trying to help,” said Anita Ondine Smith. “There are resources for the person experiencing harm from gambling, but very few tools exist for the people supporting them. I wrote this book to be the book I wish I had at the time, and to help other families now facing harm from gambling. If someone you love is gambling and you’re worried their behavior is becoming unhealthy, this book is for you.”
The book is available on Amazon.
Reverse job board
If you have been impacted by recent layoffs in the sports betting industry — or are looking to hire — I am highlighting my reverse job board. The hope is to match job seekers with prospective employers.
There have been 100 people added since I started this back up. Please share the resource with people who are hiring… or people who are looking!
Gambling news roundup
Sources: Heat expected to waive Terry Rozier before playoffs (ESPN): “The Miami Heat are expected to waive guard Terry Rozier before the end of the regular season to create a roster spot for the team’s playoff run, sources confirmed to ESPN. Rozier has been away from the team since being arrested on Oct. 23 as part of a federal investigation into illegal gambling. The trade that brought him to Miami in January 2024 from the Charlotte Hornets was under scrutiny over whether the Heat should have been made aware of NBA and federal investigations into an alleged gambling conspiracy before the swap was completed.”
New sports betting data from The Handle: The Philadelphia Eagles not making the Super Bowl this year impacted handle negatively in both PA and NJ. But that’s probably not the only reason handle is down. The latest below (paywalled; ask for a free trial or become an annual subscriber of The Handle):
My latest roundup and hot takes on prediction markets:
Nevada Set To Be First State To Ban Kalshi Contracts As Court Issues 14-Day Shutdown Order (InGame): “A Nevada Court has banned Kalshi’s sports, entertainment, and politics contracts for 14 days, seemingly requiring the prediction market to shut off access to these products in a state for the first time. The First Judicial District Court of Carson City, a state court in Nevada, handed down a temporary restraining order (TRO) Friday, following a request from the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB). The order was an ex parte TRO, meaning that it was issued based solely on the NGCB’s request, rather than Kalshi having the opportunity to argue it should not have been granted.”
“It does not appear that this order can be paused, stayed, or otherwise prevented from going into force, even if the prediction market appeals it. Unless Kalshi finds an unexpected new way to fight enforcement, it may have to block sports contracts in a single state for the first time.”
Daniel Wallach@WALLACHLEGALBREAKING: Nevada state court issues TRO barring Kalshi from offering event-based contracts relating to sports, politics and entertainment to people within Nevada without first obtaining all required licenses. TRO remains in effect for 14 days pending hearing on PI motion.
4:20 PM · Mar 20, 2026 · 80 Views
Kalshi contests it’s not a gambling app. Gov. Cox says the prop betting app ‘quacks like a duck.’ (Salt Lake Tribune): “Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday the state is exploring whether prop betting platforms like Kalshi are breaking a ban on all “games of chance” and lotteries, a prohibition that has existed since statehood and aligns with the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the state’s predominant religion.”
House passes bill raising sports gambling age in Kentucky to 21, banning some prop bets (Kentucky Lantern): “The GOP-controlled Kentucky House voted Thursday to raise the age to gamble on sports to 21 and ban proposition bets, or “prop” bets, on Kentucky college athletes. … The bill would also license and regulate fantasy sports companies and allow horse racing tracks to offer fixed-odds betting alongside pari-mutuel betting. … Meredith’s bill also prohibits horse racing tracks, sports wagering companies and fantasy sports companies in Kentucky from being involved in a prediction market…”
Mobile sports betting dies again in Mississippi Senate (Magnolia Tribune): “The ‘Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act,’ which passed 100 to 11 in the House of Representatives, has died in the Senate Gaming Committee at the hands of chairman State Senator David Blount (D). It is the second time this session that a mobile sports betting bill from the House has died in the Senate. Attempts to establish mobile sports betting in previous legislative sessions have also died by way of Blount and his Senate Gaming Committee.”
Wisconsin Governor Undecided on Online Sports Betting Bill (Sports Betting Dime): “Gov. Tony Evers (D) is in no rush to make a decision on a recently approved Wisconsin online sports betting bill. The Wisconsin Senate this week approved AB 601 by a 21-12 vote, allowing Wisconsin tribes to offer online sports betting through a hub-and-spoke system. The Wisconsin Assembly approved Rep. Tyler August’s (R-31) bill last month and the bill has been sent to Evers for his signature. Gov. Evers, however, said he has no specific timeline in mind to make a decision on the piece of legislation.”
Maryland House passes bill to ban college props and credit card use (SBC Americas): “House members in Maryland unanimously passed a bill that aims to change how bettors can wager on college sports just before the start of another year of March Madness. On Wednesday, the Maryland House approved House Bill 518 by a 132-0 vote, advancing legislation that provides new consumer protection standards for online sports wagering, while reinforcing the state’s ban on college player prop markets.”
Alberta gaming regulator announces ban on political bets (Next.io): “Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) has banned political event-based wagers in its newly revised Standards and Requirements for Internet Gaming. The revised standards, released on 17 March, include compliance requirements for online gaming operators in Alberta covering sports betting, player protection, system integrity, and other areas.”
Op-Ed: Virginia Took iGaming Seriously This Year — That Matters (Casino Reports): “This year, something important happened in Virginia. For the first time, lawmakers engaged in a serious, sustained, and thoughtful debate about legal online casino gaming. And while legislation did not ultimately cross the finish line before the end of the regular session, the progress made should not be measured by that outcome alone. It should be measured by how far the conversation advanced.”
Ifrah Law has been at the center of advancing iGaming in the U.S., shaping groundbreaking legislation, leading precedent-setting cases, and guiding clients that span the iGaming ecosystem through every phase of their business journey. Learn more at IfrahLaw.com.
Gambly and Unabated Merge to Combine AI Bet Placement With Professional Betting Analytics (press release): Gambly and Unabated today announced a merger to form Gambly Ventures, Inc., combining Gambly’s AI-powered betslip platform with Unabated’s sports betting data and tools. The deal is designed to serve both casual bettors looking for ChatGPT-style convenience and serious bettors who rely on advanced market data and betting models.
The companies were already close partners before the merger and will continue operating their existing platforms while integrating Gambly’s betslip technology with Unabated’s analytics tools. They will remain separate brands catering to different types of bettors, but share resources on items core to both businesses: comprehensive odds ingestion and mapping, betslip deep linking, and data science.
Gambly was co-founded by Cal Spears and Jonathan Bales, veterans of the daily fantasy sports industry through their work with RotoGrinders and FantasyLabs. The company built an AI-driven platform that moves users from the idea of a bet to a placed wager in seconds. Using natural language prompts, real-time odds comparisons, and deep-link integrations with all major operators, Gambly travels with the bettor to frictionlessly generate slips.
More than 200,000 users have added Gambly’s phone number to their contacts for betslips via text. Over 2,700 Discord servers rely on the service for deep links. The platform delivered nearly 15 million betslips to various operators this NFL season alone.
“After a few challenging years for the affiliate industry, the opportunity ahead is being underestimated,” said Spears, who will serve as CEO of the merged entity. “Prediction markets are raising billions, and legacy operators are preparing to enter more than 20 new states. With Gambly’s AI tools and Unabated’s data infrastructure, we’re positioned to capture that growth.”
Unabated was co-founded by Jack Andrews, Matt Snyder, Peter Jennings, Kevin Cassata, Rufus Peabody, and Dan Fabrizio, and has built a reputation among sharp bettors for its odds comparison tools, simulators, calculators, and market analytics. Its data and modeling tools help bettors evaluate markets and identify pricing opportunities in real time.
Meet Fran: Taraji P. Henson Stars As The Only Person Mad About Fanatics Casino Rewards In New Ad Campaign (press release): Meet Fran: the one person at Fanatics Casino who can’t stand how rewarding it is. Today, Fanatics Casino unveils ‘The House Always Rewards,’ a new brand platform debuting through a national campaign starring Academy Award–nominated actress Taraji P. Henson as a no-nonsense accountant on a mission to put an end to the casino’s runaway generosity. Flipping a long-standing casino trope on its head, the campaign makes one thing clear: at Fanatics Casino, the house doesn’t just win, it gives back, constantly and unapologetically."
Titled “The House Always Rewards,” the ad introduces Fran as an unlikely anti-hero: sharp, relentless, and increasingly dismayed by how rewarding Fanatics Casino has become. While players celebrate daily free spins, FanCash giveaways, and massive wins, Fran does the opposite and attempts to dismantle the rewards system from the inside, one denied invoice and shredded idea at a time.
Sportradar And BSN Strengthen Partnership To Elevate Basketball In Puerto Rico (press release): “Sportradar AG (NASDAQ: SRAD) has expanded its agreement with BSN Puerto Rico (Baloncesto Superior Nacional), reinforcing its long-term commitment to supporting professional basketball in Puerto Rico through advanced technology, data and integrity solutions. Basketball is the most bet upon sport in Puerto Rico and the second most popular across the LATAM region.”
Better Collective to launch dedicated prediction market offerings (Next.io): “Better Collective has announced the strategic rollout of prediction markets-focused content targeting US consumers. The affiliate business described the move as an important step in its ‘ambition to position itself at the forefront of a new and fast-emerging entertainment category.’”
23 Broadway secures $3m seed funding to launch AI-powered user acquisition financing platform (press release): 23 Broadway has secured $3 million in Seed funding to accelerate the next phase of its growth and launch a fully integrated AI-powered user acquisition financing platform. The funding round was co-led by Betty and Will Ventures, with participation from 359 Capital, CEAS Investments, and Dave Bartman. 23 Broadway was integral in catapulting Betty to an 18% market share in Ontario through its world-class performance marketing team and proprietary AI system called Atlas. Atlas determines the optimal cost of acquiring a customer and their predicted long-term value.”
