From Debanking to Depression and Political Spending to Prediction Markets, Here are the Week’s Top Stories

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Here’s a quick recap of the week’s top stories from Family Council and our friends:

From Family Council

Federal Regulators Trace Some Debanking Practices to Left-Wing Southern Poverty Law Center. A recent report from federal regulators shows that America’s nine largest banks deliberately closed accounts belonging to conservative individuals and organizations based in part on information from the liberal Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Keep Reading.

Are Professional Sports Leagues Finally Having Second Thoughts on Gambling? In less than a decade, sports betting has become legal to varying degrees across most of America — including Arkansas, where people are on track to wager nearly a billion dollars on sports alone this year. But evidence shows sports betting may have unintended consequences. Gambling disorder diagnoses have spiked in states with legalized sports betting, and corruption scandals have become a serious problem. But now a recent column at City Journal suggests the NBA and others may finally be having second thoughts about legalized gambling on sports. Keep Reading.

Gambling Supporters Bet Big on Arkansas Candidates. Advocates for the gambling industry have donated more than $100,000 to political campaigns in Arkansas since the beginning of 2025. Keep Reading.

“Prediction Markets” Pile Up Political Donations Ahead of Midterms. Les Bernal, National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling, recently appeared on Washington Watch, where he discussed a concerning uptick in political donations from so-called “prediction market” platforms. Keep Reading.

Study Links Marijuana’s Legalization to Increase in Hospitalizations for Deadly Heart Problems. Researchers writing in BMJ Open found hospitalizations for atrial fibrillation, heart attack, and heart failure all rose following marijuana’s legalization in states like California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Keep Reading.

The Coming Tsunami of Church Closings Has Been Greatly Exaggerated. Church attendance is declining, but predictions of a coming collapse go far beyond the data. Keep Reading.

Why Is Gen Z So Depressed (and What’s the Antidote)? Researchers are sounding the alarm about mental health problems among Gen Z Americans. Nearly half of adults ages 18 to 28 have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. What’s driving this crisis — and what’s the answer? Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

Euthanasia is Already Out of Control in Australia, 3.5% of All Deaths are Euthanasia. From LifeNews.

Nebraskans Vote Against Legal Online Sports Betting. From Daily Citizen.

Blue-State Voters Rejected Trans Extremism despite Democrats’ Gains. From The Washington Stand.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Are Professional Sports Leagues Finally Having Second Thoughts on Gambling?

Photo Credit: Focal Foto (CC BY-NC 2.0).

A recent column at City Journal suggests the NBA and others may finally be having second thoughts about legalized gambling on sports.

In less than a decade, sports betting has become legal to varying degrees across most of America — including Arkansas, where people are on track to wager nearly a billion dollars on sports alone this year. But evidence shows sports betting may have unintended consequences. Gambling disorder diagnoses have spiked in states with legalized sports betting, and corruption scandals have become a serious problem.

City Journal notes that the NBA, other professional sports leagues, and state officials are reconsidering legalized sports betting amid growing concerns about gambling addiction, financial harm, and cheating. The NBA reportedly is banning certain prop bets and parlays in the wake of a federal indictment against former NBA players for “sports bribery, illegal betting, and money laundering conspiracies.”

The NCAA has opened investigations into dozens of student-athletes for sports betting violations. College basketball players have been accused of scheming to help each other win bets they placed on one another. Other college athletes say they have been harassed by gamblers who lost bets. Stories like these are part of the reason the NCAA has urged policymakers to eliminate individual prop bets on players.

We have written before about how Americans increasingly see sports betting as a bad bet all around. It’s corrupting sports and ruining lives.

The Institute for Family Studies (IFS) reports almost one in four young men say they gamble daily. That’s concerning, because research shows that young men who wager on sports may be at increased risk of physical and mental harm. Some studies have also linked legal sports betting to divorce, binge drinking, domestic violence, and violent crime.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, researchers at UCLA, and bankruptcy attorneys across the country all say sports betting is driving a wave of financial problems like credit card delinquencies and bankruptcies.

Does anyone actually believe Arkansans can afford to wager millions of dollars on sports every month?

Family Council has prepared a list of practical, common-sense steps Arkansas could take to address predatory sports betting.

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise, gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers. Photo Credit: Focal Foto (CC BY-NC 2.0).