From a New York Times story by Eric Lipton and Kenneth P. Vogel headlined “Cigars, Booze, Money: How a Lobbying Blitz Made Sports Betting Ubiquitous”:

Representative John Barker, a cattle breeder, retired judge and chairman of one of the most powerful committees in the Kansas legislature, had a glass of 30-year Redbreast Irish whiskey in his hand and a Don Tomas cigar from Honduras in his mouth.

Both had been passed to him as he entered a party a few blocks from the State Capitol. It was co-sponsored by lobbyists who had recently turned to Mr. Barker for help legalizing sports betting in Kansas.

From a Washington Post story by Eric Adelson headlined “As sports betting goes mainstream, addiction experts are on high alert”:

From a New York Times story by Kurt Streeter headlined “The Rising Human Cost of Sports Betting”:

We’re heading toward the Super Bowl, a time of joy and anticipation for most sports fans. But not for all. Certainly not for Steven Delaney. He has no plans to watch the big game. Watching sports of any kind could suck him back in.

“I stay away from it all,” Delaney, 37, a truck driver from Ballston Spa, N.Y., said. “I don’t talk about sports. I don’t read about sports. I don’t want to know about the teams in the Super Bowl. It’s a risk that I am not ready to take.”

From a Washington Post story by Olivier Knox headlined “Biden could step into debate on booming sports gambling”: