Danny Funt
@dannyfunt.bsky.social
Author, EVERYBODY LOSES: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling (Jan '26)
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everybody-Loses/Danny-Funt/9781668062029
Reporting in @WashingtonPost.com, etc.
dannyfunt1@gmail(dot)com
dannyfunt.substack.com
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everybody-Loses/Danny-Funt/9781668062029
Reporting in @WashingtonPost.com, etc.
dannyfunt1@gmail(dot)com
dannyfunt.substack.com
Pinned
Danny Funt
@dannyfunt.bsky.social
· Jun 11
Everybody Loses
This jaw-dropping book pulls back the curtain on the alluring yet perilous world of American sports gambling.Everybody Loses is the first major inv...
www.simonandschuster.com
"EVERYBODY LOSES: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling" is available for preorder!
What's at stake as billions of dollars are spent to turn a nation of sports fans into a nation of sports gamblers?
My findings after 300+ interviews are alarming.
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everyb...
What's at stake as billions of dollars are spent to turn a nation of sports fans into a nation of sports gamblers?
My findings after 300+ interviews are alarming.
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everyb...
Thanks again @vox.com for having me on "Today, Explained."
Toward the end of the podcast I shared a theory I've heard about three potential scenarios that could force the country to fundamentally rethink sports gambling.
They're all pretty disturbing.
Listen here:
www.vox.com/culture/4687...
Toward the end of the podcast I shared a theory I've heard about three potential scenarios that could force the country to fundamentally rethink sports gambling.
They're all pretty disturbing.
Listen here:
www.vox.com/culture/4687...
Why prop bets are ruining sports
Today’s sports gambling looks nothing like the sports betting of the past.
www.vox.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Thanks again @vox.com for having me on "Today, Explained."
Toward the end of the podcast I shared a theory I've heard about three potential scenarios that could force the country to fundamentally rethink sports gambling.
They're all pretty disturbing.
Listen here:
www.vox.com/culture/4687...
Toward the end of the podcast I shared a theory I've heard about three potential scenarios that could force the country to fundamentally rethink sports gambling.
They're all pretty disturbing.
Listen here:
www.vox.com/culture/4687...
"There have always been some pro athletes who bet on their own games" has never made any sense to me as an argument for making it way easier to bet on sports.
Akin to "There have always been athletes who use steroids, so we should put a pre-loaded syringe in every players' locker."
Akin to "There have always been athletes who use steroids, so we should put a pre-loaded syringe in every players' locker."
November 15, 2025 at 11:08 PM
"There have always been some pro athletes who bet on their own games" has never made any sense to me as an argument for making it way easier to bet on sports.
Akin to "There have always been athletes who use steroids, so we should put a pre-loaded syringe in every players' locker."
Akin to "There have always been athletes who use steroids, so we should put a pre-loaded syringe in every players' locker."
Loved getting to appear on @vox.com's "Today, Explained" pod to discuss sports gambling scandals -- and share a few scoops from my book "Everybody Loses" (preorder link in bio)
megaphone.link/VMP2802839945
megaphone.link/VMP2802839945
The bet that's ruining sports by Today, Explained
Another week, another sports betting scandal. This time, it's the MLB. It's all happening because of an increasingly popular way to bet on games.
megaphone.link
November 13, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Loved getting to appear on @vox.com's "Today, Explained" pod to discuss sports gambling scandals -- and share a few scoops from my book "Everybody Loses" (preorder link in bio)
megaphone.link/VMP2802839945
megaphone.link/VMP2802839945
Excited to be on @nbcnews.com at 3:15 ET to discuss the MLB indictments and the growing concern that legal gambling is corrupting sports.
November 10, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Excited to be on @nbcnews.com at 3:15 ET to discuss the MLB indictments and the growing concern that legal gambling is corrupting sports.
Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were arrested yesterday for allegedly manipulating their play in coordination with bettors.
Seems like a good time to re-up my recent
@newyorker.com piece explaining why people inside sports predicted this kind of corruption.
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Seems like a good time to re-up my recent
@newyorker.com piece explaining why people inside sports predicted this kind of corruption.
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
The Sports-Betting Disaster
How the rise of “prop” bets helped create the conditions for the N.B.A.’s latest gambling scandal.
www.newyorker.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were arrested yesterday for allegedly manipulating their play in coordination with bettors.
Seems like a good time to re-up my recent
@newyorker.com piece explaining why people inside sports predicted this kind of corruption.
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Seems like a good time to re-up my recent
@newyorker.com piece explaining why people inside sports predicted this kind of corruption.
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Really enjoyed @jessedougherty.bsky.social's reflections on sportswriters also being fans.
I find it annoying when journalists ham up rooting for "their" team.
I also find it annoying when journalists are joyless about sports they cover.
What's the happy medium?
open.substack.com/pub/colleges...
I find it annoying when journalists ham up rooting for "their" team.
I also find it annoying when journalists are joyless about sports they cover.
What's the happy medium?
open.substack.com/pub/colleges...
One Thing About Distance
Connecting with an East Carolina football fan about fandom.
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Really enjoyed @jessedougherty.bsky.social's reflections on sportswriters also being fans.
I find it annoying when journalists ham up rooting for "their" team.
I also find it annoying when journalists are joyless about sports they cover.
What's the happy medium?
open.substack.com/pub/colleges...
I find it annoying when journalists ham up rooting for "their" team.
I also find it annoying when journalists are joyless about sports they cover.
What's the happy medium?
open.substack.com/pub/colleges...
Thrilled to read this starred review in @ala-booklist.bsky.social. Thank you!
"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."
"Everybody Loses" is available for preorder.
"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."
"Everybody Loses" is available for preorder.
November 5, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Thrilled to read this starred review in @ala-booklist.bsky.social. Thank you!
"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."
"Everybody Loses" is available for preorder.
"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."
"Everybody Loses" is available for preorder.
I was hyped to be listening to the @houseofstrauss.skystack.xyz
podcast and hear this really generous shoutout for my book "Everybody Loses" by @bomani-jones.bsky.social. Thank you both!
It's available now for preorder on Amazon, B&N, etc. or through your local bookstore
youtu.be/11fiWyRSOvA?...
podcast and hear this really generous shoutout for my book "Everybody Loses" by @bomani-jones.bsky.social. Thank you both!
It's available now for preorder on Amazon, B&N, etc. or through your local bookstore
youtu.be/11fiWyRSOvA?...
The NBA Story Nobody Wants To Talk About...
YouTube video by House of Strauss
youtu.be
November 3, 2025 at 2:00 PM
I was hyped to be listening to the @houseofstrauss.skystack.xyz
podcast and hear this really generous shoutout for my book "Everybody Loses" by @bomani-jones.bsky.social. Thank you both!
It's available now for preorder on Amazon, B&N, etc. or through your local bookstore
youtu.be/11fiWyRSOvA?...
podcast and hear this really generous shoutout for my book "Everybody Loses" by @bomani-jones.bsky.social. Thank you both!
It's available now for preorder on Amazon, B&N, etc. or through your local bookstore
youtu.be/11fiWyRSOvA?...
Reposted by Danny Funt
"Integrity monitors such as Sportradar are responsible for flagging sports gambling-related corruption, so I was alarmed to hear both of the men I phoned use the same expression to describe a fundamental defect in that oversight:
'A fox in the henhouse.'"
via @dannyfunt.bsky.social
'A fox in the henhouse.'"
via @dannyfunt.bsky.social
Opinion | Legalized sports gambling isn’t going to police itself
To stop gambling from corrupting sports, states need more than a “pinky promise” from betting companies to ensure legal and ethical compliance.
www.msnbc.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:05 PM
"Integrity monitors such as Sportradar are responsible for flagging sports gambling-related corruption, so I was alarmed to hear both of the men I phoned use the same expression to describe a fundamental defect in that oversight:
'A fox in the henhouse.'"
via @dannyfunt.bsky.social
'A fox in the henhouse.'"
via @dannyfunt.bsky.social
Integrity monitors are responsible for flagging sports gambling-related corruption, so I was alarmed to hear two veterans of the field use the same expression to describe a fundamental defect in that oversight:
"A fox in the henhouse."
I get into why for @msnbc.com
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
"A fox in the henhouse."
I get into why for @msnbc.com
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Opinion | Legalized sports gambling isn’t going to police itself
To stop gambling from corrupting sports, states need more than a “pinky promise” from betting companies to ensure legal and ethical compliance.
www.msnbc.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Integrity monitors are responsible for flagging sports gambling-related corruption, so I was alarmed to hear two veterans of the field use the same expression to describe a fundamental defect in that oversight:
"A fox in the henhouse."
I get into why for @msnbc.com
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
"A fox in the henhouse."
I get into why for @msnbc.com
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
"Gambling advocates can’t lose. When time passes without a scandal, they say it proves fears about legal gambling are overblown. When a player is caught betting, they say, The system is working."
Leagues claim that the legalization of gambling protects the integrity of sports. But as the scandals rack up, this claim has become flimsier, and fans have started to lose faith in the legitimacy of what they’re watching.
The Sports-Betting Disaster
How the rise of “prop” bets helped create the conditions for the N.B.A.’s latest gambling scandal.
www.newyorker.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:51 PM
"Gambling advocates can’t lose. When time passes without a scandal, they say it proves fears about legal gambling are overblown. When a player is caught betting, they say, The system is working."
Reposted by Danny Funt
Leagues claim that the legalization of gambling protects the integrity of sports. But as the scandals rack up, this claim has become flimsier, and fans have started to lose faith in the legitimacy of what they’re watching.
The Sports-Betting Disaster
How the rise of “prop” bets helped create the conditions for the N.B.A.’s latest gambling scandal.
www.newyorker.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Leagues claim that the legalization of gambling protects the integrity of sports. But as the scandals rack up, this claim has become flimsier, and fans have started to lose faith in the legitimacy of what they’re watching.
Sports gambling "integrity monitoring" often prioritizes sportsbook profits, not the integrity of games.
Saying otherwise, acknowledged one integrity monitor veteran, "frankly is bullshit."
My @newyorker.com dive into the NBA bombshell and an emerging scourge of corruption 👇
Saying otherwise, acknowledged one integrity monitor veteran, "frankly is bullshit."
My @newyorker.com dive into the NBA bombshell and an emerging scourge of corruption 👇
The Sports-Betting Disaster
How the rise of “prop” bets helped create the conditions for the N.B.A.’s latest gambling scandal.
www.newyorker.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Sports gambling "integrity monitoring" often prioritizes sportsbook profits, not the integrity of games.
Saying otherwise, acknowledged one integrity monitor veteran, "frankly is bullshit."
My @newyorker.com dive into the NBA bombshell and an emerging scourge of corruption 👇
Saying otherwise, acknowledged one integrity monitor veteran, "frankly is bullshit."
My @newyorker.com dive into the NBA bombshell and an emerging scourge of corruption 👇
Woke up to epic Steph Curry highlights. Also see the Thunder played yet another double-OT thriller. There have been a ton of awesome moments in just the the first few days of NBA action.
Got me feeling really bummed about the gambling scandals. They run the risk of sapping the joy from sports.
Got me feeling really bummed about the gambling scandals. They run the risk of sapping the joy from sports.
October 24, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Woke up to epic Steph Curry highlights. Also see the Thunder played yet another double-OT thriller. There have been a ton of awesome moments in just the the first few days of NBA action.
Got me feeling really bummed about the gambling scandals. They run the risk of sapping the joy from sports.
Got me feeling really bummed about the gambling scandals. They run the risk of sapping the joy from sports.
Really looking forward to discussing the Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups gambling arrests — and what they might reveal about corruption in sports — with
@jaketapper.bsky.social on @cnn.com tonight. I should come on around 6:15 ET
@jaketapper.bsky.social on @cnn.com tonight. I should come on around 6:15 ET
October 23, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Really looking forward to discussing the Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups gambling arrests — and what they might reveal about corruption in sports — with
@jaketapper.bsky.social on @cnn.com tonight. I should come on around 6:15 ET
@jaketapper.bsky.social on @cnn.com tonight. I should come on around 6:15 ET
Just gonna drop this here. There is a full chapter about how gambling is corrupting sports, and how the leagues, sportsbooks, and their "integrity monitor" partners don't seem remotely equipped to stop it.
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everyb...
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everyb...
Everybody Loses
This jaw-dropping book pulls back the curtain on the alluring yet perilous world of American sports gambling. Built around explosive interviews wit...
www.simonandschuster.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Just gonna drop this here. There is a full chapter about how gambling is corrupting sports, and how the leagues, sportsbooks, and their "integrity monitor" partners don't seem remotely equipped to stop it.
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everyb...
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everyb...
Remember: Sportsbooks almost never issue refunds to customers who bet on a game that turned out to be fixed.
October 23, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Remember: Sportsbooks almost never issue refunds to customers who bet on a game that turned out to be fixed.
How many years of Wemby will it be before I can watch him without constantly thinking "damn he is so tall"?
October 23, 2025 at 2:23 AM
How many years of Wemby will it be before I can watch him without constantly thinking "damn he is so tall"?
My latest newsletter features an exclusive interview with the writer of a memorable sports gambling episode of "The Sopranos."
But I also wrote about The New York Times's unhinged account of a New Jersey baseball game in 1884.
Here's a taste of what I mean:
dannyfunt.substack.com/p/what-the-s...
But I also wrote about The New York Times's unhinged account of a New Jersey baseball game in 1884.
Here's a taste of what I mean:
dannyfunt.substack.com/p/what-the-s...
October 15, 2025 at 12:57 PM
My latest newsletter features an exclusive interview with the writer of a memorable sports gambling episode of "The Sopranos."
But I also wrote about The New York Times's unhinged account of a New Jersey baseball game in 1884.
Here's a taste of what I mean:
dannyfunt.substack.com/p/what-the-s...
But I also wrote about The New York Times's unhinged account of a New Jersey baseball game in 1884.
Here's a taste of what I mean:
dannyfunt.substack.com/p/what-the-s...
Matthew Weiner wrote a remarkable episode of "The Sopranos" about Tony's descent into compulsive sports gambling.
For the first time, Weiner explains what that storyline sought to convey about the dangers of sports betting.
It's more resonant than ever. (link👇)
For the first time, Weiner explains what that storyline sought to convey about the dangers of sports betting.
It's more resonant than ever. (link👇)
October 14, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Matthew Weiner wrote a remarkable episode of "The Sopranos" about Tony's descent into compulsive sports gambling.
For the first time, Weiner explains what that storyline sought to convey about the dangers of sports betting.
It's more resonant than ever. (link👇)
For the first time, Weiner explains what that storyline sought to convey about the dangers of sports betting.
It's more resonant than ever. (link👇)
This is exactly the point I was trying to make in my previous tweet. People admitting that gambling hurts their personal relationships is not a matter of "narrative."
More Massachusetts gamblers say it’s affecting their personal relationships, two years after sports betting legalization in the state
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/09/m...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/09/m...
More Mass. gamblers say it’s affecting their personal relationships, two years after legalization in the state - The Boston Globe
The survey of habitual gamblers shows worrisome rise in those who say harms of gambling outweigh benefits. The amounts they say they wager has also shot up.
www.bostonglobe.com
October 7, 2025 at 2:21 PM
This is exactly the point I was trying to make in my previous tweet. People admitting that gambling hurts their personal relationships is not a matter of "narrative."
Per @johngramlich.bsky.social in @pewresearch.org, Americans increasingly believe:
--legal sports gambling is bad for the country (34% in 2022 to 43% now)
-- and bad for sports (from 33% to 40%)
In response ...
(1/2) ...
--legal sports gambling is bad for the country (34% in 2022 to 43% now)
-- and bad for sports (from 33% to 40%)
In response ...
(1/2) ...
October 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Per @johngramlich.bsky.social in @pewresearch.org, Americans increasingly believe:
--legal sports gambling is bad for the country (34% in 2022 to 43% now)
-- and bad for sports (from 33% to 40%)
In response ...
(1/2) ...
--legal sports gambling is bad for the country (34% in 2022 to 43% now)
-- and bad for sports (from 33% to 40%)
In response ...
(1/2) ...
I've heard sharp sports bettors dream of gaining access to that very data, for golfers especially.
Okay this is wonderful: viewers can watch Justin Thomas's heart rate monitor in the Ryder Cup. He just stood over a short putt with his ticker galloping at 122 -- and missed. It jumped to 125.
September 26, 2025 at 1:13 PM
I've heard sharp sports bettors dream of gaining access to that very data, for golfers especially.
@drewmagary.bsky.social presses @pablo.show to give straight answers on questions I and probably a lot of people have been wondering about, namely, "How on earth does Pablo have time to dig up so much so consistently?" Great interview.
www.sfgate.com/sports/artic...
www.sfgate.com/sports/artic...
I found out how Pablo Torre finds out
SFGATE's Drew Magary chats with Pablo Torre on how the podcast sausage is made.
www.sfgate.com
September 24, 2025 at 6:03 PM
@drewmagary.bsky.social presses @pablo.show to give straight answers on questions I and probably a lot of people have been wondering about, namely, "How on earth does Pablo have time to dig up so much so consistently?" Great interview.
www.sfgate.com/sports/artic...
www.sfgate.com/sports/artic...
Reposted by Danny Funt
I had to pick my jaw off the floor after reading this lede in @rachelmonroe.bsky.social on self-defense insurance. Like out of an Elmore Leonard novel. www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
Your First Call After You Shoot Someone
In the era of Stand Your Ground, self-defense insurance is increasingly popular. Does it promote gun violence?
www.newyorker.com
September 16, 2025 at 4:22 PM
I had to pick my jaw off the floor after reading this lede in @rachelmonroe.bsky.social on self-defense insurance. Like out of an Elmore Leonard novel. www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...