Overview

This jaw-dropping book pulls back the curtain on the alluring yet perilous world of American sports gambling. Built around explosive interviews with the power players of the betting boom at FanDuel, DraftKings, and beyond, it reveals the troubling methods that are being used to bleed gamblers dry. Everybody Loses is the first major investigation into America’s sports gambling industry. Journalist Danny Funt has obtained wild stories and stunning admissions from the people trying to transform our nation of sports fans into a nation of sports gamblers, including: • Former sportsbook executives who cop to misleading customers, with one admitting they’re “selling that you can win, but you can’t.” • VIP “hosts” at the gambling companies who divulge the extravagant perks they offer their biggest losers to keep them hooked. • Insiders who recall secret meetings where NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB executives learned how much money their leagues stood to make if they abandoned their opposition to gambling. • Lobbyists who detail how they converted skeptical politicians into gambling industry cheerleaders. This riveting narrative will captivate sports fans, concerned parents, and anyone intrigued by the intersection of money and morals. Everybody Loses is the crucial book for understanding why sports gambling is suddenly everywhere—and why the odds are so great that the problems it’s creating will soon spiral out of control.

Full Product Details

9781668062029

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Everybody Loses is the book we've needed. Sports gambling has become America's new pastime, and this look into the heart of it is insightful, informative, and best of all, highly enjoyable."" --SALLY JENKINS, New York Times bestselling author of The Right Call ""This outstanding book is the first to fully illuminate the imminent danger gambling poses to sports. We've made it too easy to lose money, we risk games being fixed, and it all leads to people getting hurt. My advice, after reading Everybody Loses? Keep your hard-earned money and enjoy the game."" --JOE MADDON, three-time MLB Manager of the Year

“Funt masterfully chronicles the meteoric rise in gambling and societal acceptance of a predatory business in a book that will simultaneously inform and alarm readers.” —BOOKLIST (starred review) “Funt’s storytelling ability makes his work easy to read and understand. Its thoroughness gives the book the potential to become a classic text.” —LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review) “In this eye-opening debut investigation, reporter Funt digs into the rise of American sports betting . . . Through firsthand accounts of bettors, including a teacher who lost more than $100,000 in two years, and former sportsbook executives (one of whom admits these companies are ‘selling that you can win, but you can’t’), Funt paints a disturbing portrait of a developing industry. No stone is left unturned in this comprehensive takedown.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY “In this insightful work of journalism . . . energetic reporting exposes the underbelly of an industry that always wins, no matter who’s playing . . . an intelligent overview of an increasingly powerful economic and social force.” —KIRKUS “A shocking, rip-roaring read and an essential work of investigative reporting for any sports fan who cares about the integrity of the games and the health of the athletes they follow.” —STEVE COLL, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ghost Wars and The Achilles Trap ""Everybody Loses could not be more timely. Vegas, Atlantic City, and the mob-connected bookies my dad bet the mortgage money with—they’ve always been there. But now sports gambling is pervasive and inescapable, embraced and enlarged by the sports establishment, and as accessible as the phone in your hand. What are the consequences? This book takes them on.""  —BOB COSTAS, Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and New York Times bestselling author ""Everybody Loses is the book we've needed. Sports gambling has become America's new pastime, and this look into the heart of it is insightful, informative, and best of all, highly enjoyable.""  —SALLY JENKINS, New York Times bestselling author of The Right Call  “An incredible book. It's an easy read on a difficult subject, laying bare the costs we pay by bringing gambling to the forefront of how we experience sports. All who care about sports should read Danny Funt's book and reassess the path we're taking."" —BOMANI JONES, host of The Right Time podcast ""This outstanding book is the first to fully illuminate the imminent danger gambling poses to sports. We've made it too easy to lose money, we risk games being fixed, and it all leads to people getting hurt. My advice, after reading Everybody Loses? Keep your hard-earned money and enjoy the game.”  —JOE MADDON, three-time MLB Manager of the Year “I'm thankful to Danny Funt for shining a needed light on the full story of sports gambling. I've been alarmed at how a sports world that openly detested gambling a decade ago now greedily welcomes it. Everybody Loses is a valuable look at a problem in our country that may well grow into a crisis.”  —PETER KING, legendary NFL reporter and three-time National Sportswriter of the Year 

""Everybody Loses could not be more timely. Vegas, Atlantic City, and the mob-connected bookies my dad bet the mortgage money with--they've always been there. But now sports gambling is pervasive and inescapable, embraced and enlarged by the sports establishment, and as accessible as the phone in your hand. What are the consequences? This book takes them on."" --BOB COSTAS, Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and New York Times bestselling author ""Everybody Loses is the book we've needed. Sports gambling has become America's new pastime, and this look into the heart of it is insightful, informative, and best of all, highly enjoyable."" --SALLY JENKINS, New York Times bestselling author of The Right Call ""This outstanding book is the first to fully illuminate the imminent danger gambling poses to sports. We've made it too easy to lose money, we risk games being fixed, and it all leads to people getting hurt. My advice, after reading Everybody Loses? Keep your hard-earned money and enjoy the game."" --JOE MADDON, three-time MLB Manager of the Year

""But the greatest strength of Everybody Loses is its breadth — Funt takes the reader inside every level of the seedy, corrupt, dispiriting world of sports gambling. This is a twisted travelogue of sorts, each chapter devoted to a circle of hell populated by one group of sports gambling’s myriad losers. The addicts and athletes; college students burdened by crushing debt; families destroyed by secret addiction; 'successful' gamblers eking out a living by devoting every second of their lives to finding an edge; media organizations and leagues that lose more credibility with every gambling promotion; and the vampiric sports books themselves."" —THE WASHINGTON POST Funt masterfully chronicles the meteoric rise in gambling and societal acceptance of a predatory business in a book that will simultaneously inform and alarm readers.” —BOOKLIST (starred review) “Sports betting has indeed been brought out of the underground and into the sunlight. It’s quickly becoming the default way we relate to athletic competition. And the outcome is predetermined. Everybody loses.” —THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ""Funt reveals the social, financial, and moral costs that extend well beyond the simple idea of 'everybody wins.' From micro-bets that can hook young gamblers to the duopoly controlling the industry, this is the crucial information every parent, policymaker, and concerned citizen needs to understand."" —THE CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN VIRTUE “Funt’s storytelling ability makes his work easy to read and understand. Its thoroughness gives the book the potential to become a classic text.” —LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review) “In this eye-opening debut investigation, reporter Funt digs into the rise of American sports betting . . . Through firsthand accounts of bettors, including a teacher who lost more than $100,000 in two years, and former sportsbook executives (one of whom admits these companies are ‘selling that you can win, but you can’t’), Funt paints a disturbing portrait of a developing industry. No stone is left unturned in this comprehensive takedown.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ""A fascinating investigation into a new force shaping the lives of many Americans."" —HARVARD UNIVERSITY'S NIEMAN JOURNALISM LAB ""In [Funt's] thorough and highly readable new book, there’s something in it for the hunch player and hardcore handicapper alike. Namely, the truth about the way we gamble now and how we got here."" —THE NEVADA INDEPENDENT “In this insightful work of journalism . . . energetic reporting exposes the underbelly of an industry that always wins, no matter who’s playing . . . an intelligent overview of an increasingly powerful economic and social force.” —KIRKUS ""Everybody Loses helps Christians explain why opposition to legalized gambling isn’t legalism; it’s part of loving our neighbors well."" —THE GOSPEL COALTION “A fantastic book and a great contribution to our country.” —Former Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy “A shocking, rip-roaring read and an essential work of investigative reporting for any sports fan who cares about the integrity of the games and the health of the athletes they follow.” —STEVE COLL, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ghost Wars and The Achilles Trap ""I've been devouring Everybody Loses . . . If you're interested in [sports gambling], I think you'll devour it too.""  —BRIAN STELTER, New York Times bestselling author of Hoax and Network of Lies  ""Everybody Loses could not be more timely. Vegas, Atlantic City, and the mob-connected bookies my dad bet the mortgage money with—they’ve always been there. But now sports gambling is pervasive and inescapable, embraced and enlarged by the sports establishment, and as accessible as the phone in your hand. What are the consequences? This book takes them on.""  —BOB COSTAS, Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and New York Times bestselling author ""Everybody Loses is the book we've needed. Sports gambling has become America's new pastime, and this look into the heart of it is insightful, informative, and best of all, highly enjoyable.""  —SALLY JENKINS, New York Times bestselling author of The Right Call  “An incredible book. It's an easy read on a difficult subject, laying bare the costs we pay by bringing gambling to the forefront of how we experience sports. All who care about sports should read Danny Funt's book and reassess the path we're taking."" —BOMANI JONES, host of The Right Time podcast ""This outstanding book is the first to fully illuminate the imminent danger gambling poses to sports. We've made it too easy to lose money, we risk games being fixed, and it all leads to people getting hurt. My advice, after reading Everybody Loses? Keep your hard-earned money and enjoy the game.”  —JOE MADDON, three-time MLB Manager of the Year “I'm thankful to Danny Funt for shining a needed light on the full story of sports gambling. I've been alarmed at how a sports world that openly detested gambling a decade ago now greedily welcomes it. Everybody Loses is a valuable look at a problem in our country that may well grow into a crisis.”  —PETER KING, legendary NFL reporter and three-time National Sportswriter of the Year  ""I will spoil nothing. Funt delivers with a deep excavation that demands attention."" —ROB MIECH, THE CHICAGO SUN TIMES

Author Information

Danny Funt covers sports betting as a contributor at The Washington Post. His reporting has also appeared in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and the Columbia Journalism Review. He previously worked as an editor at The Week magazine. A graduate of Georgetown University and the Columbia Journalism School, he lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and son.

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