S12, Chapter 2: The Winning Phase

S12, Chapter 2: The Winning Phase

July 13, 2026 · 49 min · Season 12 · Episode 2

About this episode

The episode explores the impact of gambling addiction through personal stories and societal implications.

Nine apps. Ten days. Hundreds of bets. I'll walk you through what a gambling spiral looks like firsthand. We'll take a look at the $314 million machine that put these apps in front of me. And the illusion of control that almost turned a ten day experiment into something that much much worse. Karl Jacobson wasn't so lucky. His childhood; filled with alcoholism and abuse. As a cop, he spent his life trying to become the kind of person who makes others feel safe. The person you can trust. And the disease that lived in his childhood home found him anyway. Not through a bottle, but through a screen. Resources If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is available 24/7 — call or text 1-800-522-4700. Free and confidential. Patreon Support the show and get access to the Premium Feed. Bonus episodes. Early, ad-free, lossless. https://www.patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside Merch store relauch. Everything is on sale for a limited time. https://merchfromthedarkside.com/ Credits and Sources Editing help by: Troy Turner / troypiano at https://www.airgigs.com/user/troypiano Interview Clips Karl Jacobson — "Kica's Corner: Police Chief Karl…

People in this episode

Host: T. Z. Borden

Guest: Karl Jacobson

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Problem Gambling Helpline, Patreon, Kica Matos, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee

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