Why You Can Basically Bet On Anything These Days
What A Day
What A Day
4.6 • 12.6K Ratings
🗓️ 9 February 2026
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sunday was the Super Bowl, which means betting. A lot of betting. And even if you're not a gambler– and even if you don't particularly care about sports, you've probably noticed that in the last few years, sports betting has gone from obscure to nearly omnipresent. But that's not necessarily for the better. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, "43% of U.S. adults say the fact that sports betting is now legal in much of the country is a bad thing for society." So, we spoke with Hannah Vanbiber, a senior editor at The Athletic, to talk about sports betting ahead of Sunday's big game.
And in headlines, survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein release a Public Service Announcement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats are ready to shut down the government partially, and the Japanese prime minister's governing party secures a supermajority in parliamentary elections.
Show Notes:
- Check out Hannah's reporting – www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/hannah-vanbiber/
- Call Congress – 202-224-3121
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- What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
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- For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's Monday, February 9th. I'm Erin Ryan, in for Jane Koston, and this is What a Day, |
| 0:07.5 | the show that would never make you remember Roman numerals. |
| 0:16.4 | On today's show, a far-right Japanese leader takes a big gamble, and it pays off. America's Winter Olympians parlay their time at the top of their sports into an opportunity to speak out about their own government's malfeasance. But let's start with Sunday's Super Bowl. If you tuned in yesterday to watch the Seahawks take it to the Patriots, you may have had a little bit of money writing on the game. |
| 0:37.8 | If you're really into the gamification of every aspect of sports, you might have even gotten |
| 0:41.9 | wacky with it and bet on something like whether or not bad Bunny would say fuck ice during his |
| 0:47.2 | halftime performance. But even if you're not a gambler, and even if you don't particularly |
| 0:51.6 | care about sports, you've probably noticed that in the last few years, |
| 0:55.6 | sports betting has gone from obscure to nearly omnipresent. |
| 0:59.9 | Trade on the big game now in your state with Draft King's predictions. |
| 1:04.1 | Make your big game prediction and try putting your money where your knowledge is. |
| 1:07.7 | New Draft King's predictions customers get a first trade bonus up to $75 predictions. |
| 1:12.7 | The crown is yours. |
| 1:14.9 | Come on, give it a try. It's so easy. It's so fun. Just download an app and tickle your brain's |
| 1:20.4 | risk-reward center from the privacy of your couch or the privacy of your favorite bathroom stall at work or from a stoplight. |
| 1:28.3 | Actually, on second thought, if you feel compelled to check your bets while you're behind |
| 1:31.9 | the wheel of your car, that might be a problem. |
| 1:34.9 | From primetime TV ads to targeted ads on social media, the legalization of online sports |
| 1:40.1 | betting has transformed the way sports are watched and even played, but not necessarily for the |
| 1:45.8 | better. According to a Pew survey, 43% of adults say legal sports betting is a bad thing for society. |
| 1:52.6 | So seeing as Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest betting day of the year, we thought it was the perfect |
| 1:56.7 | time to get a sense of how big betting markets have gotten, where the industry is headed, |
| 2:01.9 | and who, if anybody, is making sure that everybody's playing safely. |
... |
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