GAMBLING

An inside look at NEPM's new series, "High Stakes: Gambling Addiction, Beyond Borders." Reporter Karen Brown traveled to Norway and the United Kingdom to learn how other countries are balancing the excessive spread of legal betting with the risk of gambling disorders — and looked at similar efforts within the United States.

As sports betting expands across the U.S., states are on their own to make the rules. A growing movement of U.S. health leaders and legislators want to strengthen and standardize the way gambling is regulated. But they are facing opposition from the betting industry.

In 2005, the U.K. passed a law that liberalized the gambling industry, which had previously been merely tolerated. Public health leaders across the Atlantic say the U.S. should take note of the challenges the U.K. has faced since gambling spread to almost every city.

When it comes to gambling, Norway is one of the most regulated countries in the world. What can Massachusetts and the U.S. learn from its public health approach to betting addiction?

Norway's highly controlled approach to gambling includes reaching out to players who appear headed for trouble. At Norse Rikstoto, the government-run company that oversees horse racing, staff make personal calls to people who show an uptick in time or money spent on betting.

Today on The Rundown, Carrie Saldo and panelists discuss the legal landscapes of cannabis and gambling in western Massachusetts.

Last week, a Massachusetts House committee advanced a bill seeking to make changes to the state's cannabis regulatory agency. The proposal also increases the cap on licenses for business owners.

Rumors about a sale of the MGM Springfield casino began to circulate last year.

We visit the solo exhibition, "Black Hands: Black Earth," learn about the history of gambling in Massachusetts and McGovern with Rep. Jim McGovern.

UMass Amherst researchers say legal gambling has led to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, but 90% of that comes from problem or at risk gamblers.