Is Sports Betting the New American Investment Plan? & Candy Crush Keeps Crushing It

August 14, 2026

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5 min read

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One in four Gen Z investors now treats sports betting as a deliberate part of their financial plan. That is the headline finding from a recent Betterment survey, and it is the centerpiece of a conversation about how younger Americans are rethinking their relationship with risk, wealth, and entertainment. The episode also explores a quiet revolution in mobile gaming, the surprisingly detailed data profiles fast-food chains build on their customers, and the mechanics of tariff refunds flowing back to major US corporations.

Sports Betting as an Investment Strategy

The survey data is stark: 52% of Gen Z respondents admitted to diverting funds they originally allocated for investing into sports betting at least once in the past year. That number drops to 14% for millennials, 6% for Gen X, and just 1% for boomers. The hosts trace this behavior back to the "meme stock era" of 2020-2021, when platforms like Robinhood gamified trading and democratized access to markets. That same impulse, they argue, has now migrated to apps like FanDuel and DraftKings, where you can bet on everything from the NFL to table tennis, sailing, and darts.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:24) **Show Open & Emoji Trends** - Hosts Raymond and Kate introduce the show and kick off with a discussion of 2025 emoji trends from The New York Times.
2 (03:05) **Tariff Refunds Are Rolling In** - Over 40 S&P 500 companies have received $9.6 billion in tariff refunds, with the government on the hook for roughly $166 billion total.
3 (04:46) **Will Consumers Get Their Money Back?** - The hosts break down whether the average person will see any of the tariff refunds.
4 (07:31) **The Federal Deficit Worsens** - The tariff refunds are flipping the narrative that tariffs were a revenue maker for the government.
5 (08:24) **Dog of the Week: The Stock Market** - Kate names the stock market as the "dog of the week" because Gen Z investors are diverting money from stocks into sports betting.
6 (09:37) **The Sports Betting Reality Check** - The hosts examine the actual odds and dangers of treating sports betting as an investment strategy.
7 (13:45) **Stock of the Week: Candy Crush** - Raymond picks Candy Crush Saga as the stock of the week, highlighting its enduring popularity and massive revenue.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

#911: Billions of tariff refunds are coming back to large companies. Gen Z believes sports betting is the key to a better financial future. Candy Crush has been crushing it for 15 years. McDonald’s knows how many times you ordered a Double Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese – and when you'll order it again. Anthropic sets its eyes on a massive $2 trillion IPO.

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