Monday, April 27th Edition |
In your opinion, are you on your phone too much? Or just enough?
Let’s dive in today …
Today’s Big Story
Gambling ‘Out of Control’?
Some experts warn that it should be regulated like alcohol or tobacco

Do you gamble? I love the occasional Vegas trip with friends, but I’ve never gotten into online gambling. But the rapid expansion of online betting, prediction markets and sports wager platforms, “demands a public health response”, according to Harry Levant, director of gambling policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute, urging policymakers to intervene.
As experts from around the world gather in Boston to push for more regulation of the industry, many are calling for stricter guardrails. “You regulate the distribution, the speed, the type, the access to the product, because the product is what’s dangerous,” Levant told The Guardian.
He’s calling for gambling to be treated like other vices such as alcohol or tobacco. “The problem is the product, not the people,” he said. “We have a crisis here.” As wagering becomes less taboo and more commonplace, more and more Americans (of all ages) are now betting—with the ease of just tapping their phone screen.
Americans legally bet over 3.3 billion during March Madness—whether they had it to spend or not. And NPR reports that when sports betting surges, so do Americans’ financial problems. A recent report found that sports betting is linked to plummeting credit in the more than 30 U.S. states where the activity is legal, as well as in neighboring counties where it was not.
Other experts, worried about the rise in youth gambling, echo the concerns, calling it a “public health crisis”. Ubiquitous advertisements on television and social media, often fronted by celebrities and sports idols, are now often the first exposure to gambling for children. And the link between gambling early and gambling addiction has become increasingly clear. While only 1% of adults who gamble report addictions, the Journal of Behavioral Addictions reports that between 2% and 7% of young people who place bets report gambling addictions.
FYI:
Americans view prediction market trading as more like gambling than investing, according to a new poll by Ipsos and the American Institute for Boys and Men.
Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting
Trump officials believed to be WHCD gunman's target, acting AG says
Trump hadn’t been to one in a decade. But as he sat in his tux at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, shots rang out near the hotel ballroom, triggering a chaotic scene inside. The president and vice president were hastily evacuated. While Trump was not in immediate danger, the sobering moment adds to a list of close calls no modern president has faced.
The 31-year-old gunman who derailed the dinner left a manifesto that outlined his plan to target officials “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest”, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told multiple news outlets Sunday. The suspect, who is expected to be formally charged later today, is not cooperating, Blanche told CBS News. He is expected to be charged with two counts: assaulting a federal officer and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
The president returned to the White House and held a news conference, praising officers for their response and telling Americans, “We have to resolve our differences.” He said the dinner will be rescheduled within the next 30 days.
Meanwhile:
President Trump called CBS' Norah O'Donnell “disgraceful” for asking questions about the shooter’s manifesto allegations.
Would You Do a Flip Phone Cleanse?
Like Dry January, but for your pull to social media
Maybe you’re looking for more of your time back. Perhaps you’re in search of peace of mind. In any case, you’re ready to take a digital break of sorts. Now, there’s a whole business set up to help you out. You pay $75 for the experience, during which you will swap out your smartphone for a lower-tech device and participate in weekly meetups.
It’s become so popular that Month Offline has spun off a tiny start-up, dumb.co, that sells a retro styled flip phone that comes with a redesigned, custom operating system. Because if you’ve sensed social media was feeding your anxiety or dampening your mood, you may be on to something. A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that cutting down on social media use even for a week can significantly reduce mental health symptoms in young adults.
Dig Deeper:
Here’s a little something I wrote about my own detox experience. Analog options, I came to realize, have a certain romance and civility to them.
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