The Shadows of Gambling Addiction

One of the biggest stories in sports may be happening off the field – and on betting apps. As 60 Minutes correspondent Jon Wertheim reported earlier this year, what was once done in the shadows is now as much a part of the spectator experience as hot dogs and foam fingers. Placing wagers on everything from point spreads to the color of gatorade bottles is now fully legal in most states. But the popularization of sports betting has brought a new wave of concern over gambling addiction – a condition that 60 Minutes has been covering since before it was officially recognized by the DSM. As we grapple with this new normal, we remember a series of stories from the from the 1970s and 80s – when Dan Rather and Harry Reasoner met an extreme compulsive gambler named Irving North whose addiction was destroying his family. We meet his son Larry today as he relives his experience with his father and their time with 60 Minutes. And Wertheim joins us to consider what the past might say about the future.

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