What’s in This Week’s Issue…

Good morning. If you’re in the U.S. right now, chances are you’ve seen a gambling ad in the last 24 hours. Maybe during a game. Maybe on YouTube. Maybe through your favorite influencer.

And if you haven’t, just wait. Because it’s coming.

What was once taboo is now a feature of everyday life, turned into a product packaged like entertainment, and pushed to young men 24/7.

But behind the flashy ads, app bonuses, and million-dollar influence deals, there’s something else taking place: an Epidemic.

So this week…

• 🏆 The Big Play: How gambling companies built America’s next addiction crisis and made everyone rich, except you.

• 💪 The Power Move: What this industry teaches us about leverage, addiction, and the cost of attention.

• 💵 Follow the Money: It is happening! Shein and Temu hike prices as much as 300% due to US tariffs.

-GEN

🏆 The Big Play

The biggest money power story of the week.

How Everyone Profits From Your Online Gambling Addiction

In 2018, the United States Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on state-authorized sports betting.

Today, it is legal in 38 states, and the market has exploded past $250 billion. But this isn’t just about gambling.

It’s about how an industry built for addiction managed to make influencers, startups, sports leagues, and even state governments all financially dependent on it.

All while it offloaded the risks onto the public.

Here’s how it was orchestrated:

1. The Ad Blitz: How Addiction Became a Feature

There’s a reason you’re seeing gambling ads everywhere.

DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM are pouring millions into advertising. But unlike tobacco or alcohol, there are almost no federal restrictions.

So companies go full-throttle:

• Ads during prime-time NFL, NBA, and UFC events

• Promos on YouTube, podcasts, and even crypto channels

• Endless “free bets” and sign-up bonuses to get you hooked

And the method is not just about luck. It’s about the scarcity loop, a psychological trick that manipulates dopamine to keep you spinning.

But here’s what most don’t realize:

These apps aren’t just betting platforms. They’re behavior engineering tools, running 24/7 simulations on your habits. Every tap, every bet, every loss… tracked to make you spend more time and money.

And if you think this is just about individual responsibility, wait until you see who’s all are profiting from it.

2. The Influencer Trap: Who’s Really Making Money?

Online gambling should be a warning sign. Instead, it has created a system where everyone wins except the person placing the bet:

• Influencers like Taylor Mathis now build their entire brand on gambling content.

• Sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL have collectively made more than $4 billion in sponsorships from betting apps.

• Even state governments like North Carolina are using their gambling revenue as “free money“ for schools and public services.

And then there are the whales:

• The top 5% of gamblers contribute over 80% of profits.

• Many of them are young men, some placing over 2,500 bets a year.

• Gambling companies profile them using third-party data to target them again when they try to quit.

The system doesn’t help them recover. It tracks them, knows when they’re vulnerable, and drags them back in with personalized offers.

And if you’re wondering just how deep this goes, I covered more of this in my latest video:

Because the real danger isn’t just the money. It’s where this leads next.

3. The End Game: A Nation Hooked Before It Can Regulate

Sports betting is just the gateway drug.

The real profit lies in online casinos: slots, blackjack, and digital roulette. And only 7 states have legalized them so far.

But that’s changing fast:

• Influencers are moving from sports picks to slot machine streams.

• Gambling companies are lobbying harder than ever to legalize iGaming nationwide.

• And behind the scenes, they’re building a political machine just like Big Tobacco did.

Here’s the catch: Online sports betting brought in just $2.5 billion in tax revenue last year. That’s nothing in a $6 trillion federal budget.

But that doesn’t matter. Because when you sell politicians a story that sounds like free money, they listen. Just like they did with the lottery in Georgia.

And when politicians, influencers, and corporations all stand to benefit?

The Wild West doesn’t end. It only expands.

And that brings us to the real playbook behind all this.

💪 The Power Moves

Playbook for understanding the game of power.

Why the House Always Wins (and How You Can Too)

The lesson behind online gambling isn’t just moral. The gambling industry shows us how power accumulates when:

• You sell access to dopamine

• You turn users into predictable inputs

• And you turn addiction into infrastructure

This model isn’t just about gambling. It’s spreading:

• Social media platforms optimizing for doomscrolling

• Crypto casinos mimicking gaming interfaces

• Mobile apps reshaping attention into behavioral data

The Takeaway:

In any industry, whoever captures the habit first wins.

So if you want to create something valuable, don’t just ask: What can I sell?

Ask: What habits will I own?

Because in this new economy, power doesn’t come from being addictive. It comes from owning the addiction pipeline.

💵 Following the Money

Three of the wildest financial and corruption stories from around the world.

#1 - Shein, Temu prices spike as much as 300% due to US tariffs

#2 - North Korea confirms it sent fighters to Ukraine as Putin publicly thanks them

#3 - A 21-year-old TikTok astrologer arrested after earthquake prediction goes viral

✨ Poll time!

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