What happens when you can bet on anything?
This Is Uncomfortable
Marketplace
4.6 • 3.6K Ratings
🗓️ 26 March 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Betting used to mean going to a brick-and-mortar casino or placing a wager with a bookie. Now, with the rise of prediction markets, people can bet online on real-world events — from elections and the weather to cultural moments and global news — but at what cost?
In this episode, Reema talks with clinical psychiatrist Dr. Timothy Fong and financial psychology expert Hanna Horvath about how gambling is becoming more normalized and woven into everyday life. What does that shift do to how we think about money, how we understand risk, and how we relate to the world around us?
Even if you don’t gamble, we’re curious to hear more about the connection between loneliness and spending. What does that look like in your life? Give us a call at 347-RING-TIU or send us an email at uncomfortable@marketplace.org.
And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Tiktok!
If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, professional help is available in every state. You can call The National Problem Gambling Help Line at 1-800-GAMBLER.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm Rie McRais, and welcome to This Is Uncomfortable. |
| 0:04.2 | This month, you've got millions of people gambling on March Madness, placing wagers on which |
| 0:08.9 | basketball team will take the national title. |
| 0:11.4 | A lot of folks, they're betting on apps like Fanduel or Draft Kings. |
| 0:14.9 | But this year, we're also seeing more people placing their sports bets on something called |
| 0:18.6 | prediction markets. |
| 0:20.2 | These are places on the internet |
| 0:21.3 | where, yeah, you can bet on sports, but also you can bet on anything, elections, cultural events, |
| 0:27.3 | natural disasters. On websites like Kalshi and Polly Market, you can find people wagering on everything |
| 0:32.9 | from who will be the next supreme leader of Iran to which which contestant will win the reality game show Survivor. |
| 0:39.7 | Prediction markets are soaring in popularity, |
| 0:42.7 | but right now they're also facing some renewed criticism. |
| 0:45.6 | There are multiple markets covering the war in Ukraine and Iran, |
| 0:48.4 | and there's also multiple bets on nuclear detonation. |
| 0:51.3 | Imagine betting on what White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt will say in her |
| 0:54.7 | next briefing, or betting on how many cases of measles there will be this year. This might actually be |
| 0:59.6 | the easiest way to make money in 2026. Calshy is a predatory app. Billions of dollars are traded on them |
| 1:05.4 | every week. And now CNN and CNBC have struck deals to incorporate Calhue prediction markets into |
| 1:10.4 | coverage. There's a lot to dig into incorporate Kalshi prediction markets into coverage. |
| 1:11.4 | There's a lot to dig into when it comes to prediction markets. |
| 1:14.4 | They operate in this kind of legal gray area. |
| 1:16.8 | They're not subject to gambling regulations, which a lot of states aren't thrilled about. |
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