The advertising is a big part of the problem, and I think that banning it would probably help. The casinos make so much money that — just like the cigarette companies back in the day — they can pay more than other advertisers and plaster their ads absolutely everywhere.

You see it in SEO, too. Online casinos’ budgets for link building are effectively bottomless.

As things are currently going, it’s only a matter of time before a major-league sport sees another Shoeless Joe Jackson or Pete Rose.