Dr. Harry Levant on Gambling, Online Sports Betting, and Public Health

“I want to have an open and honest conversation with you, about a topic that we in the adult world have launched on you, but haven’t quite figured out how to talk about yet,” began Harry Levant in Hall on January 13. Dr. Levant is the Director of Gambling Policy with the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) at Northeastern University and is an Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor, mental health therapist, and Doctor of Law and Policy. He is also a former gambling addict.

During his talk, Dr. Levant discussed the prevalence of the sports betting industry, which has become not only normalized but also romanticized, due to companies like DraftKings and FanDuel. He distinguished this type of betting from the standard casino or in-person gambling that existed when he was younger. “I am in favor of the properly regulated legalization of sports gambling. I’m for it,” he said, acknowledging it as a cultural pastime that goes back centuries. “However, what we have launched is not properly regulated and is not safe. In fact, it’s an entirely new kind of gambling.” He then demonstrated that access to gambling today is as simple as downloading an app onto your phone.

Before opening the room up to questions, Dr. Levant touched on several noteworthy dangers or tricks hidden in sports betting platforms, such as new offers that are too good to be true. For example, he showed the audience an ad that said a $5 bet would earn the user $300. However, while some might think this is actual money, it is actually just in-game credits that fuel the game’s chase. He also explained how games on your phone with in-store credits are structured to prime users to get accustomed to unlocking rewards and bonuses through progress and playtime.

After the Hall, Dr. Levant spent time with Class V in their Health and Wellness class, discussing some of the parallels between online sports betting and the video games kids begin playing at a young age. He also met with advanced math students in Class I and II, where the boys asked more questions, about prediction markets, game theory applications in sports betting, and about what would make this type of gambling safer. The evening before he spoke with boys in Hall, he also gave a presentation to the Parents’ Auxiliary.

As the Director of Gambling Policy at PHAI, Dr. Levant works to bring about much-needed change in how gambling is regulated and promoted. His department believes that the current state of the industry, with its easy accessibility and aggressive advertising, poses a looming public health crisis, akin to that of cigarettes decades ago. Mr. Levant holds a Doctorate of Law and Public Policy from Northeastern University, and a Master’s in Professional Clinical Counseling from La Salle University. He has testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee about the potential public health crisis caused by sports betting, and his work has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes, and CNN.