Suing to fight ‘dangerous’ microbetting | Morning Newsletter
⛽ And the “cost” of war.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Welcome to a new week, Philly. It’s starting off with a chance of showers and high temps in the mid-60s.
A new lawsuit filed on behalf of a Montgomery County man accuses FanDuel, DraftKings, and the NFL of profiting from “unreasonably dangerous” microbetting.
And Pennsylvania Democrats are using affordability to strike at President Donald Trump on the Iran war, from campaign ads to gas pump stickers.
Plus, a quiz to navigate our Spring Arts Guide, and more news of the day.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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A lawsuit alleges that FanDuel and DraftKings, as well as the NFL and the data company Genius Sports, are profiting from the compulsive nature of microbets.
The Public Health Advocacy Institute says the sportsbetting companies use push notifications to urge customers to return to their apps and continue gambling, and direct VIP hosts to feign friendships with gamblers.
The nonprofit filed the lawsuit in the Common Pleas Court of Philadelphia last week on behalf of a Montgomery County man who grew addicted to placing bets on the apps. Over five years, he wagered more than $22 million, and was rewarded with VIP perks such as champagne and tickets to Philadelphia Eagles games, court records show.
Investigative reporter David Gambacorta has the story.
A month into the Iran war, Pennsylvania Democrats on Capitol Hill are seeking to tie a campaign-year focus on affordability to their opposition to the military engagement.
Their messaging highlights rising costs at the gas pump, as well as a long list of alternative spending priorities that they say are more worthy of taxpayer money, including healthcare.
For their part, Republicans are downplaying the concerns about affordability. So is U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat increasingly at odds with his own party.
Politics reporter Sam Janesch has more.
In other policy news: Sixteen years after the Affordable Care Act expanded access to healthcare, more than 98,000 Pennsylvania residents have dropped out of ACA marketplace health plans this year after Congress failed to renew a critical financial incentive program and insurance prices doubled, on average.
What you should know today
A 58-year-old man is in critical condition after a minivan hit him Saturday in Northeast Philadelphia, police said. Plans for pedestrian- and bike-safety improvements along the Castor Avenue corridor where the crash occurred are tied up in court.
Prosecutors withdrew charges against a man accused of being one of the gunmen in a mass shooting in South Philly last summer.
The Haverford College student body on Sunday passed a resolution that could start a process to consider stripping mega donor Howard Lutnick’s name from the library.
Two North Philly elementary schools will join the Temple Partnership Schools Network, which will make them learning labs for Temple students and provide extra resources for the schools.
A Chester diaper bank is aimed at assisting new mothers in the area with basic necessities for their babies.
What can theater bring to the workplace? A local firm is betting on the power of role play.
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm has sued his parents, alleging the pair defrauded him of millions of dollars under the guise of managing his financial affairs.
Today’s real estate agents aren’t just hunting for houses. They’re also tapping into social media to score new clients and close deals.
There’s more to see in our Spring Arts Guide, which highlights the most exciting performances, exhibits, and more coming to the city this season.
🎺 Looking to catch a concert or show this spring? Take our quiz and get tailored suggestions.
🥊 Monument Lab cofounder and Philly native Paul Farber grew up never liking the Rocky statue, but now he has a Philadelphia Museum of Art show centered on it.
📷 University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Contemporary Art is not a traditional museum. Newish director Johanna Burton wants things to “get a little weirder again.”
💡 Atlantic City Electric’s mascot for years wore blackface and a bellhop suit. The company has found a way to address its racist past.
🧠 Trivia time
Philadelphia Soccer 2026 and Visit PA plan to bring the “heart and soul” of the World Cup throughout Pennsylvania via FIFA fan zones in three cities besides Philadelphia. Which is not one of them?
A) Reading
B) Scranton
C) Pittsburgh
D) Harrisburg
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🥟 Eager to visit: Carmen’s Table, bringing Puerto Rican barbecue and a grandmother’s dream to South Jersey.
🎥 Learning: The local ties to Netflix’s new Red Hot Chili Peppers doc.
☕ Grabbing: A late-night latte as Yemeni coffee culture takes over Philly.
🛋️ Buying: A $99 couch and $8 coffee table at this hotel liquidation in Plymouth Meeting.
➡️ Considering: How the United Nations slavery resolution charts a path forward.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Warming event that recurs every three to seven years
NO LINE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Diane Pieri, who solved Sunday’s anagram: The Colored Girls Museum. Vashti DuBois is the executive director of this Germantown museum. Follow along with her Perfect Philly Day.
Photo of the day
📬 Your ‘only in Philly’ story
Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Michael Thomas Leibrandt, who celebrates the end of another brutal North American winter:
It happens on the first day or two of warm weather each year after a cold and unforgiving winter. Like any Philadelphian, I take a moment to enjoy the warmth of the sun on my face upon the arrival of our first warm day.
It’s in our nature to thrive in warm weather. We celebrated the signing of the Declaration of Independence in the July heat of 1776, the end of the American Revolution in the warmth of the September of 1783, and finally signed the U.S. Constitution during the sunshine of a September day in 1787.
But as we deal with another significant temperature drop and the last of the winter flurries, our city thrives in winter as well. Thirty years ago in January 1996, just weeks after the Eagles’ historic rout of the Detroit Lions at Veterans Stadium in one of the highest-scoring playoff games in NFL history (58–37), more than 30 inches was dropped on Philadelphia.
Some 18 years later, Detroit returned to South Philly, and the result was nearly the same. So were the conditions. This time, the Eagles domination was in the blizzard itself by a final score of 37–20. The result even echoed stories told by our grandparents of a nor’easter hitting Philadelphia in post-World War II December of 1948, during which the Eagles captured their first NFL Championship over the Chicago Cardinals — a game which took place after the players shoveled out Shibe Park on Lehigh Ave.
You didn’t need to be alive in 1948 to feel the same thrill. This past Eagles season may have been forgettable, but last year’s Super Bowl run will not be. The championship season included that image forever etched in our minds of Saquon Barkley running 78 yards for a touchdown, hitting the outside of his helmet as he glided into the end zone through the snow.
And we don’t just claim winter victory on the field of sport. In the harsh weather of 18th century North America, Washington crossed the Delaware River on an icy Christmas night 250 years ago in 1776, surprising British and Hessian forces which led to the victory at the Battle of Trenton.
No matter the weather — the bitter cold and snow of winter or the warm months — we thrive in sports as we do in history.
Tilt your face to the sun and take that victorious energy with you today. Have a good one.
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