Podcasts · The Indicator from Planet Money

Is gambling the reason we have pro sports?

17 Jun 2026 · 9:04

To hear author David Bockino tell it, gambling has always been a key ingredient of pro sports in the U.S.—it’s as American as apple pie. Bockino is the author of the new book Over/Under: An Unexpected History of Sports Betting. So what gave rise to this new wave of sports gambling? And what are we risking placing so many bets on games? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your Next Listen — Prediction markets are threatening national security. Who’s gonna fix it? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Links in the notes 8

• https://www.davidbockino.com/over-under
• https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez
• https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter
• https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE
• https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr
• https://plus.npr.org/
• https://pcm.adswizz.com
• https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)