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NEW YORK, NY – (August 18, 2025) – The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, a five-time Emmy® Award-winning CNN Original, returns with an incisive look at the now booming sports gambling industry in America. “Sports Betting: America’s Big Gamble” with CNN National Correspondent Nick Watt premieres Sunday, August 24 at 10pm ET/PT on CNN.
Last year, Americans bet around 150 billion dollars on sports. Point spreads, prop bets and parlays have entered the vernacular of a burgeoning new generation of young gamblers, a group particularly susceptible to addiction. In states where sports betting has become legalized, overall credit scores have gone down and bankruptcy filings have gone up, and athletes are facing harassment and threats from losing gamblers. Now, attorneys are filing a class action lawsuit claiming that sports betting apps were designed to create and feed addiction.
“I’m not a gambler, so diving into this world is fascinating,” said Watt. “We see the pleasure and the pain, and I’m blown away by how far this industry has come since the Supreme Court unleashed the beast and legalized this back just seven years ago. This isn’t your grandad dropping a couple of bucks at the horse track.”
In “Sports Betting: America’s Big Gamble,” Watt seeks answers from those at the forefront of America’s sports betting industry, including President of the American Gaming Association Bill Miller, President of the NCAA Charlie Baker, Executive Vice President of NFL Communications, Public Affairs and Policy Jeff Miller, and more. He also speaks with the everyday people who have been impacted by the legalization of sports betting, including professional sports gamblers and recovering gambling addicts.
The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper is a collection of unique and immersive single subject, one-hour episodes from CNN’s Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning longform storytelling team showcasing character-driven stories, special interviews, and investigative deep dives featuring reporting from CNN’s anchors and correspondents. The seriesis executive produced by Susan Chun.
The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, August 24. “Sports Betting: America’s Big Gamble” will also be available on demand beginning Monday, August 25 to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms. Past episodes of The Whole Story are available to stream on demand now on Max.
The Whole Story is also available as a CNN Podcasts showcast. Visit CNN.com/audio or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
