The Odds Against Us

Connor interviews Charles Ahern, who describes hiding his own college gambling from his parents and argues gambling is uniquely normalized and even encouraged by government and peers, leaving people isolated and contributing to suicide risk. Ahern explains Stop Predatory Gambling is not anti-gambling about social wagers, but opposes “predatory gambling,” where state governments partner with operat...

Connor, a high school student host of The Odds Against Us, interviews Charles Ahern IV, Project Coordinator at Stop Predatory Gambling, a national nonprofit founded in 1993 that opposes state partnerships with commercialized gambling operators and advocates for policy reform. Charles describes his own gambling pathway beginning at age 13 with Madden Ultimate Team pack purchases using his parents’...

Connor interviews Betty from the Mississippi Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling about how the council functions as an administrative and training arm while contracting telehealth counselors to run the helpline due to high operating costs. Betty explains what shrinking funding has eliminated, including paid TV/radio public service announcements and past support for inpatient treatment beds,...

On The Odds Against Us, host Connor talks with Betty Greer, executive director of the Mississippi Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling, about the council’s role as a gaming-neutral 501(c)(3) that provides public awareness, training, referrals, and a 24/7 helpline with call, text, and online chat options. Greer describes how gambling in Mississippi and nationwide has shifted from primarily ca...

In this episode of The Odds Against Us, host Connor speaks with Josh Ercole, Director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, about the organization’s neutral stance on gambling and its focus on preventing and addressing harmful gambling behaviors. Ercole explains how 1-800-GAMBLER provides 24/7 Pennsylvania-specific support via phone, chat, and text through a contracted helpline ce...

In this episode of The Odds Against Us, host Connor speaks with Josh Ercole, Director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, about the organization’s neutral stance on gambling and its focus on preventing and addressing harmful gambling behaviors. Ercole explains how 1-800-GAMBLER provides 24/7 Pennsylvania-specific support via phone, chat, and text through a contracted helpline ce...

On The Odds Against Us, host Connor speaks with Diana Good of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) about her path from nonprofit work into gambling prevention and how CCPG stays neutral on gambling to build safeguards and partnerships with operators. Diana explains why industry funding is common in nonprofits, how collaboration helps solve issues (including a FanDuel call-routing/AI...

Connor hosts Liz Parsons on The Odds Against Us to discuss gambling awareness through the lens of alcohol policy and prevention advocacy. Liz describes work around pushing back on alcohol advertising, including why youth voices can be effective with policymakers, how stigma and social norms among teens shape behavior, and what strategies can shift narratives about alcohol and gambling. They compar...

In this episode of The Odds Against Us, host Connor speaks with Matt Missar, a licensed clinical social worker and internationally certified gambling counselor who also treats gaming disorder, about the growing convergence of video games and gambling. Messar explains what his clinical work looks like, why many younger clients arrive at their parents’ request, and how gambling-like mechanics in gam...

What happens when someone who lived through gambling's grip turns around and spends his life fighting it? In this episode of The Odds Against Us, host Connor talks with Charles Ahern IV, a former gambler turned preventionist and Project Coordinator at Stop Predatory Gambling. Charles opens up about his own experience with gambling and the path that led him from teaching and coaching into full-time...

In Episode 1 of The Odds Against Us, Connor Huynh is joined by Ben Spooner, a prevention specialist with the Education Development Center and the Massachusetts Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling Prevention. The conversation explores how gambling is viewed through a public health lens, the rapid rise of sports betting, and what these changes mean for youth exposure. They also discuss how gamb...