Sports books, online casinos, and prediction markets are collaborating with local newspapers across the United States to leverage their search rankings, reach new audiences, and share in the profits. Under the new model, award-winning outlets are publishing news articles featuring promo codes for readers to unlock gambling credits with online betting platforms like Kalshi, DraftKings, and others. When a reader signs up, the newspaper receives a payout. Importantly, these are separate from traditional banner ads or popups and are usually not labeled as “sponsored content”. Instead, the publishers of this gambling content claim that it is part of their news production.

Maryland-based journalist Judd Legum identified and documented the growing scale of this phenomenon in his article, "Pulitzer-winning newsrooms are quietly publishing mountains of gambling slop”. He found that Advance Local has produced over 17,000 of these posts since 2022 across their many newspapers including The Oregonian, The Cleveland Plains Dealer, and The Star-Ledger. The city with the highest number of these posts? Syracuse, NY., with Syracuse.com | The Post Standard having published more than 5,800 of these promotional gambling articles between January 2022 and May 2026, many of which targeting residents of other states.

Legum joins host Maximilian Eyle on this episode of It’s Happening Here to discuss the growing relationship between gambling sites and news organizations across the country. He is the founder and author of the Substack newsletter Popular Information.passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill — will impact families here in Central New York.

Related reading:

"Pulitzer-winning newsrooms are quietly publishing mountains of gambling slop", https://popular.info/p/pulitzer-winning-newsrooms-are-quietly

"The "truth machine" is paying for election lies", https://popular.info/p/polymarket-sponsoring-election-conspiracies

Editor's Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current's editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

Sports books, online casinos, and prediction markets are collaborating with local newspapers across the United States to leverage their search rankings, reach new audiences, and share in the profits. Under the new model, award-winning outlets are publishing news articles featuring promo codes for readers to unlock gambling credits with online betting platforms like Kalshi, DraftKings, and others. When a reader signs up, the newspaper receives a payout. Importantly, these are separate from traditional banner ads or popups and are usually not labeled as “sponsored content”. Instead, the publishers of this gambling content claim that it is part of their news production.

Maryland-based journalist Judd Legum identified and documented the growing scale of this phenomenon in his article, "Pulitzer-winning newsrooms are quietly publishing mountains of gambling slop”. He found that Advance Local has produced over 17,000 of these posts since 2022 across their many newspapers including The Oregonian, The Cleveland Plains Dealer, and The Star-Ledger. The city with the highest number of these posts? Syracuse, NY., with Syracuse.com | The Post Standard having published more than 5,800 of these promotional gambling articles between January 2022 and May 2026, many of which targeting residents of other states.

Legum joins host Maximilian Eyle on this episode of It’s Happening Here to discuss the growing relationship between gambling sites and news organizations across the country. He is the founder and author of the Substack newsletter Popular Information.

Further reading: "Pulitzer-winning newsrooms are quietly publishing mountains of gambling slop" https://popular.info/p/pulitzer-winning-newsrooms-are-quietly

"The "truth machine" is paying for election lies" https://popular.info/p/polymarket-sponsoring-election-conspiracies

Editor's Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current's editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

Onondaga County Reporter Laura Robertson returns to share the most important developments she has seen unfolding within the County Legislature this year. She explains why the Democrats’ decision to hire outside legal counsel has empowered them to speed up their legislative agenda, and identifies how each party is competing for different visions of legislative transparency.

In her conversation with host Maximilian Eyle, Robertson dives deeper into county policy priorities ahead of the November election. They discuss each party’s plan for investments in housing and transportation, and explore how dealmaking that used to occur behind closed doors is now more frequently spilling out onto the legislature floor.

Cover photo by Laura Robertson

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Editor’s Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current’s editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

In Nov. 2025, the Onondaga County Legislature flipped from Republican to Democrat control for the first time in half a century. At the same time, a shift to the election calendar meant that the new majority would face reelection again in Nov. 2026 - just 10 months after being sworn in.

As members from each party learn to operate in these new roles, they are also tasked with managing some of the most significant economic development and infrastructure challenges in county history. Central Current's Onondaga County Reporter Laura Robertson speaks to how this new power dynamic is unfolding under the shortened timeline, and the competing visions each side is pitching to county residents.

Editor's Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current's editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

The Syracuse Housing Authority has been in the news recently: From missed deadlines to accusations of conflicts of interest. What does it all mean? Central Current reporter Debadrita Sur breaks it all down on this episode of ‘It’s Happening Here.'

On this edition of "It’s Happening Here" host Chris Libonati is joined by Central Current contributor Eddie Velasquez and reporter Patrick McCarthy to discuss immigration enforcement and how local elected officials are responding to pushback against President Donald Trump‘s deportation agenda.

As the New Year begins, what should Central New Yorkers be on the lookout for? Central Current’s Editor Chris Libonati shares his thoughts about the biggest items to keep an eye on over the coming news cycle. He shares his own journey as a reporter, his favorite stories from 2025, the reasons he loves reporting in CNY, and explains how he chooses what to cover.

Editor’s Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current’s editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

Child literacy remains a persistent challenge in Syracuse. According to 2019 data from the Early Childhood Alliance, only 22% of SCSD students are reading on grade level by the 3rd grade. Guests Laurie Black and Dr. Maria Murray are each tackling this challenge from different angles: As Community Education Director for the United Way, Laurie Black has grown their Book Buddies program to reach over 600 students annually. Her network of 500 volunteers provides ongoing education, support, and encouragement to children from kindergarten through 3rd grade. Dr. Maria Murray, CEO of The Reading League, focuses her efforts on providing teachers with evidence-based practices for improved literacy education. Her organization studies the science of reading and works with educators nationwide to improve outcomes for students.

On this episode of It’s Happening Here, Laurie Black and Dr. Murray join hosts Maximilian Eyle and Dr. Roosevelt “Rick” Wright to discuss the relationship between literacy and poverty, the resources available in Onondaga County for parents and children, the Book Buddies program, and ways to improve your own child’s reading development.

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Editor's Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current's editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

With an annual budget of over $250 billion, New York State’s public spending exceeds that of most countries. Decisions made in Albany impact New Yorkers across the state in nearly every aspect of their lives. Akash Mehta wants to close the distance between state residents and their representatives in Albany by providing accessible and in-depth coverage of state government.

At the age of 22, Akash launched New York Focus - an independent nonprofit newsroom. Over the past five years they have built a staff of 15 and have broken stories ranging from Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment lawsuits to secretive state senate committees exerting a heavy hand on which bills make it to the floor for a vote.

NYS Focus’ Editor-in-Chief Akash Mehta joins Central Current’s Executive Director Maximilian Eyle on this episode of It’s Happening Here. Read New York Focus’ coverage and sign up for their free newsletter at nysfocus.com. Central Current’s reporting can be found at central current.org

After a decade of declining enrollment, SUNY OCC is seeing a surge of interest. Record high student loan debt rates, new state tuition subsidies, and spikes in job demand for healthcare and manufacturing is drawing more students to their campus.

SUNY OCC’s President Warren Hilton joins hosts Dr. Roosevelt “Rick” Wright and Maximilian Eyle to discuss their new Micron clean room, their most popular degrees among incoming students, and how New York State’s Reconnect program will provide free tuition for adult learners.

Editor’s Note: This podcast reflects the opinions and perspectives of the host and guests and is not a product of our editorial staff, including Central Current’s editors and reporters. The program may be edited in post-production for length and clarity.

Central Current is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom for people building a life in Central New York. Learn more and access our reporting paywall-free at centralcurrent.org