Walking through Manhattan the other day, I passed a digital billboard from Kalshi showing live odds for the New York City mayor’s race, updating in real time and displaying live trades. The culture of betting isn’t limited to sports anymore. It’s everywhere.

The friends I used to play video games with now fire off parlays before lunch, during the afternoon games and when they’re struggling to go to bed. They’ll gamble on almost everything: Sunday football, Korean baseball, Lithuanian table tennis.