Connor hosts Liz Parsons on The Odds Against Us to discuss gambling awareness through the lens of alcohol policy and prevention advocacy. Liz describes work around pushing back on alcohol advertising, including why youth voices can be effective with policymakers, how stigma and social norms among teens shape behavior, and what strategies can shift narratives about alcohol and gambling. They compare regulatory approaches, including raising alcohol prices as a deterrent and a way to fund prevention and treatment, and discuss the challenge of states benefiting from tax revenue. Connor asks about evidence on small price increases affecting youth purchasing, what advocacy tactics worked or didn’t, and what parents and teens can do at home and among peers to talk openly and reduce harm. They close with motivation for continuing the fight and a realistic policy goal.

In this episode of The Odds Against Us, host Connor speaks with Matt Missar, a licensed clinical social worker and internationally certified gambling counselor who also treats gaming disorder, about the growing convergence of video games and gambling. Messar explains what his clinical work looks like, why many younger clients arrive at their parents’ request, and how gambling-like mechanics in games (such as loot boxes and pack openings) can prime early exposure to casinos and chance-based rewards. They discuss whether and how governments could regulate microtransactions, how underage users access gambling through offshore sites, social casinos like Fliff, prediction markets, bookie systems run by students, and parents’ accounts. Messar critiques gambling advertising and streamer promotions, outlines warning signs for parents, describes shame and denial in addiction, and shares counseling approaches and his Powered Up Parent/Player courses designed to support healthier gaming balance

What happens when someone who lived through gambling's grip turns around and spends his life fighting it? In this episode of The Odds Against Us, host Connor talks with Charles Ahern IV, a former gambler turned preventionist and Project Coordinator at Stop Predatory Gambling.

Charles opens up about his own experience with gambling and the path that led him from teaching and coaching into full-time advocacy. From there, he and Connor get into why the industry calls it "problem gambling" while advocates call it predatory, how 24/7 mobile access and microbetting mirror the reinforcement schedules of slot machines, and where the line between gaming and gambling has quietly disappeared. Charles also breaks down the conflict of interest baked into a system where the government profits from the gambling it's supposed to regulate, and much more!

In Episode 1 of The Odds Against Us, Connor Huynh is joined by Ben Spooner, a prevention specialist with the Education Development Center and the Massachusetts Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling Prevention.

The conversation explores how gambling is viewed through a public health lens, the rapid rise of sports betting, and what these changes mean for youth exposure. They also discuss how gambling platforms are designed to keep users engaged, the growing overlap between gaming and gambling, and the challenges of preventing harm in an increasingly digital environment.

This episode sets the foundation for understanding how gambling begins, why it’s so difficult to regulate, and what can be done to better protect young people.