“Gambling addiction has nothing to do with money. Full stop, nothing to do with money… Gaming addiction has to do with the way this product makes people feel.” ~ Harry Levant
SPONSOR’S MESSAGE - Zero Latency host Brad Allen is joined by EKG's director of policy Becca Giden to discuss:
Whether NJ's proposed tax rise will stick
Whether state budget deficits will encourage online casino legislation
A bad month for DraftKings in Texas
Listen to the episode here
This week’s guest on the Talking Shop Podcast is Harry Levant, Director of Gambling Policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) at Northeastern University. This was an interesting conversation, and while we don’t agree on everything, Harry’s perspective and passion cannot be denied.
Harry shared his journey from a gambling addiction that nearly destroyed his life to advocating for industry reform. Levant, a former Philadelphia trial lawyer, detailed how a 30-year gambling habit culminated in a catastrophic 2013, marked by a pathological addiction that led him to misappropriate clients’ money, resulting in 13 financial felonies and a jail sentence in 2015. A compassionate judge granted him immediate parole, sparking a recovery journey nearing 11 years.
This experience fueled his pledge to prevent others from similar fates, leading him to earn a master’s in counseling and a doctorate in law and public policy, focusing on online gambling’s public health risks.
Levant is a critic of the gambling industry’s Responsible Gaming model, calling it ethically and scientifically flawed, as it places blame on individuals rather than addressing the addictive nature of modern gambling products.
Levant is a driving force behind the SAFE Bet Act, a federal bill reintroduced in 2025 that seeks to impose guardrails on the industry by banning VIP programs, tiered rewards, and reload bonuses. The bill also mandates odds disclosure for micro-betting and looks to crack down on offshore and illegal operators.
Levant sees this as a shift from the current reactive approach to a proactive public health strategy, preventing harm before it escalates.
You can find STTP’s reporting on the SAFE Bet Act here
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