# People Are Gambling Just To Survive | James Lavish Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bitcoin-way-podcast-6843432/people-are-gambling-just-to-survive-james-lavish Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bitcoin-way-podcast-6843432/people-are-gambling-just-to-survive-james-lavish.md Podcast: [The Bitcoin Way Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bitcoin-way-podcast-6843432) Published: 2026-05-07T20:20:52+00:00 Episode link: https://fountain.fm/episode/LdUwAAbMILIGfw03rLLN Audio file: https://feeds.fountain.fm/lFHn4zNybhc78I4owxOv/items/2AbAJft0JQEJfFXTE2A3/files/VIDEO---DEFAULT---a3333a34-fd9d-4a19-8df3-24e6c0808367.mp4/ORIGINAL.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-bitcoin-way-podcast-6843432/episodes/people-are-gambling-just-to-survive-james-lavish Duration seconds: 3502 ## Resource 📞 Schedule a FREE call: https://www.thebitcoinway.com/contact?utm_campaign=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_source=fountain 📖 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.thebitcoinway.com/resources/newsletter?utm_campaign=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_source=fountain 🔑 Learn about our self-custody services: https://www.thebitcoinway.com/services/bitcoin-self-custody-training?utm_campaign=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=fountain In episode #115 of The Bitcoin Way Podcast, James Lavish (Hedge Fund Manager & author of The Informationist) joins the Bitcoin Way podcast to unpack why Americans spent $109 billion on lottery tickets in 2025 - more than concerts, books, and movies combined. He explains how the explosion in gambling is a symptom of a K-shaped economy, what former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s "break the glass" warning really means for the bond market, stagflation risks and why owning hard assets has never mattered more. You can follow James on X at https://x.com/jameslavish , subscribe to his newsletter ‘The Informationist at https://jameslavish.com . ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Guest Introduction 01:10 The Rise of Gambling in a Struggling Economy 08:09 Demographics and the Impact of Economic Disparity 16:03 The Role of the Federal Reserve and Debt Dynamics 22:07 Emergency Plans and the Future of U.S. Treasuries 29:25 The Consequences of Financial Mismanagement 38:21 The Future of the Dollar and Global Currency Dynamics 40:52 The Fed’s Dilemma: Rate Cuts vs. Inflation 49:28 Market Trends and the Role of AI 52:48 Unpopular Opinions on Bitcoin’s Market Cycle 🎧 LISTEN TO OUR POD & OTHER EPISODES: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebitcoinway Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/thebitcoinway Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bitc… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-bitcoin-way-podcast-6843432/episodes/people-are-gambling-just-to-survive-james-lavish/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bitcoin-way-podcast-6843432/people-are-gambling-just-to-survive-james-lavish.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.