The Vanishing Boundary Between Investing and Gambling

Posted on December 9th, 2025 at 11:34 AM
The Vanishing Boundary Between Investing and Gambling

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

According to Bloomberg Law, there now are the tools, tactics, and a psychology of gambling that increasingly resembles those of retail trading.

Since the pandemic, apps that merge brokerage functions, social media dynamics, and betting mechanics have attracted a new class of traders who favor speed and adrenaline, according to Bloomberg Law. Zero-days-to-expiration options (0DTE), leveraged ETFs, prediction markets, memecoins, and tokenized stocks cater to that appetite. Today, 0DTE options represent more than half of S&P 500 daily options volume, and trading in leveraged ETFs has surged into the hundreds of billions.

According to Bloomberg Law, gambling counselors report an influx of younger clients who experience significant financial harm because these platforms remove traditional barriers such as casino visits or cash withdrawals. The head of a New York addiction-treatment group notes that many clients insist they are “investing” simply because they operate outside a casino, even though the behavior often mirrors — or exceeds — the risks of traditional gambling.

Today’s environment accelerates those patterns, as reported by Bloomberg Law. Prediction markets and meme-stock surges resemble earlier manias, but the infrastructure is now institutional. Gambling and investing sit side by side within the same financial ecosystem.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

We just wanted to say thanks for your work in helping us get back some of the money we lost. We are not by any means rich, but we have saved some money and we have done so through a tight-fisted approach to most everything we do. So losing a significant chunk of money hurt…especially at a time when everyone else was growing their accounts. We really appreciate the work you did.

Allan and Adele

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

January 16, 2026
SEC Signals Sweeping IPO Rule Changes to Ease Path for Smaller Companies

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plans to overhaul its public offering framework to make it easier for smaller companies to access the public markets, according to remarks SEC Chairman Paul Atkins delivered at the New York Stock Exchange, as reported by Bloomberg Law.

January 15, 2026
FINRA Flags Risks of Early Withdrawals and Exchanges in Registered Index-Linked Annuities

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued a renewed warning to the industry about the risks consumers face when they exit registered index-linked annuities (RILAs) before the end of the contract term.

January 14, 2026
FINRA Fines and Suspends Wells Fargo Advisor Over Fictitious Expense Claims

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) fined and suspended a Wells Fargo Advisors representative in Waco, Texas, after finding that he submitted fictitious business expense claims, according to a FINRA Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) letter.