{"product_id":"book-1ji5","title":"The House Always Wins","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn investigative narrative revealing how smartphones, deregulation, and pandemic isolation turned America's pastime into its newest addiction.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe House Always Wins\u003c\/em\u003e traces the rise of legal sports betting from a fringe hobby to a $120-billion-a-year industry, reshaping how Americans watch, wager, and lose. Economist and health policy analyst Roger Bate explores how pandemic isolation, relentless digital marketing, and permissive state policy created a perfect storm of opportunity and risk. Bate draws on original surveys, field interviews, and international case studies to reveal how betting moved from racetracks to smartphones-and how a culture built on self-control began to mistake speed for freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom suburban bars to billion-dollar platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel, \u003cem\u003eThe House Always Wins\u003c\/em\u003e uncovers the moral and economic contradictions of a market built on human weakness and where over 95 percent of participants lose, some catastrophically. Bate argues that the challenge isn't whether people should gamble, but whether a democracy can manage risk at the speed of an app. Combining investigative reportage with humane insight, this audiobook exposes the hidden arithmetic behind America's newest public-health crisis.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blackstone Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":68346203209963,"sku":"DZ1ji5","price":59.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0699\/2127\/6139\/files\/1ji5-Square-cover.jpg?v=1793664159","url":"https:\/\/www.blackstoneunlimited.com\/products\/book-1ji5","provider":"Blackstone Unlimited","version":"1.0","type":"link"}