What Turned the Hobby Into a Gambling Machine? + Breaking vs. Collecting + Who Should Regulate the Hobby?
Sports Cards LiveShow Notes
When did sports become so intertwined with gambling, and what did that do to the sports card hobby?
Phil Chronakis remains with us as Greaig Miller of Midlife Cards joins the panel as the first-ever Sports Cards Live guest co-host.
We dig into a major shift that happened years before the COVID hobby boom and ask whether the legalization and normalization of sports betting helped create the environment that transformed sports cards as well.
That leads us straight into one of the hobby’s most contentious questions: is opening wax gambling?
Collecting, breaking, ripping, chasing, compulsive spending and the psychology behind all of it come into the discussion, with some very different perspectives around the table. We also hear from Collectors MD about what they are seeing firsthand from collectors struggling with these behaviours.
Finally, we look ahead. Does a hobby with this much money flowing through it eventually face greater scrutiny? And if some form of regulation is coming, is the better answer government intervention or a hobby that learns how to govern itself?
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