The Owen Jones Podcast

72. The great COVID gambling scandal - and how it wrecks lives

While many companies have struggled badly during the COVID-19 pandemic, not so for online gambling which thrived during the crisis. Matt Zarb Cousin and James Grimes are two former gambling addicts turned campaigners who tell me how they were driven to the very edge, how the industry exploits the vulnerable, how cosmetic reforms have made little difference - and how the worst post-war emergency allowed online gambling to thrive. Help us take on the right-wing media here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&amp;redir_token=QUFFLUhqblMwWmdoOGV2OGpaZU9GS1BFY1pGMlVzZFJNUXxBQ3Jtc0ttbEtOMGhZOTUzRVcyRUtrYTVOZmRCTFRKY200d0JxQ0ZLSG1Udm1WNEcwdTBJejk0ZEVkaVpsOEZRX20xMElWZEpTaTRMWjBNeENXNUpyaXZxX29pQUVCVXFTQjVHS1gxNFR0YjIxZE1nbEVCMVJCdw&amp;q=https%3A%2F%2Fpatreon.com%2Fowenjones84" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://patreon.com/owenjones84</a>Support this show <a href="http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast" rel="payment" target="_blank">http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast</a>. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Owen Jones, journalist, author of Chavs and The Establishment, or "that left-wing idiot off the telly", is fed up with the establishment media. After all, it punches down, not up, blames minorities for all the problems in society, and, let's face it, often just parrots the government line. So this podcast is offering something different: speaking truth to power, giving the marginalised a voice, offering hope - and having a laugh along the way. From Michael Sheen to Judith Butler, Prof. Devi Sridhar to Noam Chomsky, Peter Hitchens to Chelsea Manning and Gary Younge to Stewart Lee, the interviewees couldn't be more eclectic. Expect documentaries, too, exposing injustice and going to enemy territory - and discussions with experts on everything from COVID dreams about the pandemic to the history of US-backed coups. We'll learn a lot - but above all else, have our optimism in a better world rebooted. Support this show <a href="http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast" rel="payment" target="_blank">http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast</a>. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.