Once upon a time Gambling was looked upon as a cultural scourge. You couldn't openly bet on any sporting events like you can today. 

Most states didn't allow slot machines or public card games with the exception of Las Vegas, Nevada, that reveled in being called Sin City where gambling was legal.

That attempt to separate the seedier side of gambling from wholesome family driven sporting events - like baseball - is now dust in the wind. 

Odds for betting on games are shared by sports hucksters/announcers who are in the pockets of giant betting companies like Draft Kings and Fan Duel.

Here's a fun fact, gambling is addictive. That's one reason why it - along with the profit - has become legal in all forms today. Greedy politicians have gleefully accepted donations from gambling lobbies to make restrictions on gambling disappear.

Fact: less than six years ago, betting on sports in the United States was prohibited under federal law except in Nevada casinos and a smattering of venues in other states.

But in 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal prohibition was unconstitutional and opened the floodgates to a field of fantasy sports companies that allow gambling on all sports.

The New York Times investigated the dark underbelly of these gambling companies a couple of years ago and discovered that state lawmakers were showered with money, gifts and visits from sports luminaries.

In addition, the article pointed out that the gambling lobby was using deceptive arguments to extract generous tax breaks and other concessions.  

Sports-betting firms cultivated friendly relationships with lawmakers and regulators who didn't have the taxpayers and people at risk of gambling problems best interests at heart.

This pandemic of gambling has spread to 31 states and Washington D.C. and isn't going away soon. Sports gambling is permitted online or in person. There are also five more states that will allow such betting in the future.

A study at the University of Connecticut showed that as many as three in four pre-teens that are exposed to internet gambling become addicted.

I've heard the saying "Money is the root of all evil," and I'm convinced it's true. A new generation of gamblers will suffer financial setbacks that will eventually land them in the streets with the other homeless Americans wondering how they got there.

As it Stands, I understand the attraction to gambling because it's a human thing. However, it's not a smart thing.