Abdullah Mahmood is back. The gambling coordinator at Maryhaven in Columbus, Ohio returns to The Modern Meeting for a conversation about what might be the most significant piece of gambling legislation in the country right now. The Save Ohio Sports Act — introduced by two Republican and two Democratic lawmakers — would effectively abolish mobile and online sports betting in the state, limit wagers to four brick and mortar casinos, ban credit card use, and eliminate parlays and prop bets. In a state where 98% of sports betting happens on a mobile device, that's a seismic shift.

Adam and Abdullah break down what's in the bill, why it started with a match-fixing scandal involving two Cleveland Guardians players, who's going to fight it, and why it probably won't pass in its current form — but probably should. They also get into the five stages of change, what Abdullah is seeing on his caseload right now, and why a man's first appointment is almost always about saving his family rather than saving himself.

Contact Abdullah:

https://maryhaven.com/gambling/

https://www.gamfin.org/

If you’re struggling right now, you’re not alone.
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I almost didn't record this one. Friday episodes are tough. I was ready to skip the episode entirely. And then the Monday meeting happened. The topic was: what did gambling give you — and who are you without it? What followed was one of the most powerful hours I've ever spent in a recovery room. Gail and Mandy's answers to "Without Gambling, Who Are You Becoming," sent me all the way back to Clinton, MA. Then I picked up my pen and wrote down a name I hadn't thought about in almost 20 years.

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Larry K went to his first Gamblers Anonymous meeting at 16 years old in 1973 — not because he was ready, but because his grandmother paid him $100 to go. What followed was 53 years of compulsive gambling, multiple relapses, four marriages, and a stint trading $30 million in stock market options while convincing himself it wasn't gambling. This is not a straight line recovery story. It's something far more honest than that. Larry breaks down the difference between abstinence and real recovery, why the obsession never truly goes away, and what finally brought him back to the GA meeting he started himself over 30 years ago — on a Friday the 13th at a Denny's in Mission Viejo.

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This week we're getting specific. After pleading my case on the importance of lived experience stories, I tell five stories from my gambling that I've either never mentioned on this podcast or have only glossed over. From the debt collection calls that started waking me up every morning, to the manic thoughts during a slot session, to the elaborate lie I told my parents during my final bailout.  This is what twenty years of compulsive gambling actually looked like up close. 

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Mandy S hadn't placed a bet in 917 days when she sat down for this conversation with Adam. She wasn't a sports bettor or a casino gambler. What kept her gambling for many years was scratch tickets. She hid her addiction in plain sight. She didn't need the casinos or to sneak away on her phone. All she needed was a convenience store, gas station, or grocery store.

What followed were years she couldn't have predicted. Gambling through IVF, a marriage that almost didn't survive, and three relapses, before she finally surrendered and dove into recovery.  

If you’re struggling right now, you’re not alone.
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I was supposed to release this episode on Friday. Instead, I didn't start recording until Sunday night. Four years into recovery, the "f**k it phase" is still very much a part of my life. The procrastination, the putting things off, the feeling that nothing bad is actually going to happen...it didn't disappear when I stopped gambling. It just found new places to live. This week, my higher power sent a message in the form of a pickleball injury that I hope gets me back on the right track. 

I also recap the Midwest trip, my complicated feelings about Episode 100's performance, why I'm done caring about likes and downloads, and why lived experience will always connect differently than a degree — no matter what anyone in the comment section thinks.

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If your child has a gambling problem, where do you even start?

That's the question Kim Freudenberg and Linda Uphoff couldn't answer when they needed it most. Kim's son Kurt started gambling at age 11 — on video game skins and offshore casino sites — and the family didn't find out for eight years. Linda's son developed a sports betting addiction after college, and by the time she recognized the signs, his savings were gone and he was dipping into his 401k. Both women searched desperately for help and found almost nothing.

So they built it themselves.

In this episode of The Modern Meeting, Kim and Linda join Adam to talk about Parents Standing Together — the nonprofit peer support organization they founded for families navigating youth and young adult gambling harm. They share their own stories, the mistakes they made, what they wish they'd known, and what they're building so no other parent has to figure this out alone at 2am.

If you’re struggling right now, you’re not alone.
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Episode 100 of The Modern Meeting.

This is a chronological look back at the first 99 episodes — clips that show how the conversations and perspectives have evolved over time. Different voices, different experiences, but all centered around addiction, recovery, and growth. If you’ve been listening, you’ll recognize some of these moments. If you’re new, this is a good snapshot of what this podcast is about. 

Grateful for everyone who’s been part of it so far.

We’ll see you on the other side.

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In Part 2, Louis Ruggiero picks up where he left off - sober from drugs and alcohol but deeper in his gambling addiction than ever. From betting $40,000 on UFC fights to losing $600,000 on a sports betting app in months, Louis reveals how compulsive gambling brought him to the brink of suicide while his fiancée was postpartum and his newborn son was in the next room. He shares the phone call on the corner of 48th and Madison that changed everything, how Gamblers Anonymous saved his life, and why after everything - the drugs, the alcohol, the arrests - it was gambling that truly took his soul. 

Content Warning:

This episode contains discussions of suicide and mental health, which may be distressing for some listeners. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider seeking support. Help is available. In the U.S., you can contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 — available 24/7.

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Louis Ruggiero grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Private school. Three sports. By most measures, he had every advantage. At 14 — he turned $200 into $9,000 at a blackjack table in the Bahamas and lost every penny before checkout. By 21 he had a bookie, three felonies, and was stealing checks from a friend to stay in action and fund his other addictions. 

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Louis walks us through the early years — the entitlement, the structure that kept him together in high school and collapsed the moment he left for college, and the first real consequences that came when charm and a well-connected family couldn't bail him out anymore. 

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