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Gambling Addict Speaks to Woodberry Students
“I am an addict. You are looking at an addict,” Harry Levant told Woodberry students at a recent assembly. “I made my first bet when I was fifteen, and have never had a healthy relationship with gambling. It would take me thirty years before I understood what that meant.”
Harry Levant, now a counselor and public speaker on gambling issues, was once a lawyer in Philadelphia who stole close to $2 million from clients to feed his gambling addiction. Now he’s a Northeastern University doctoral student pushing for federal legislation that treats betting as a public health issue. He visited Woodberry to talk to the community about the dangers of online gambling.
“I am not opposed to gambling” said Levant.“However, the gambling industry needs to change.”
Levant was very clear in his presentation that in his opinion, gambling shouldn’t be banned. However, he does advocate for significant changes within the industry.
“When I testified before the Senate Judiciary committee back in December, I raised my hand and testified under oath that I am in favor of the properly regulated legalization of sports gambling,” said Levant. “What we’ve had in this country over the past seven years, however, has been a direct threat to public health.”
According to Levant, the gambling industry has made their products easily accessible, fun to play, and therefore highly addictive. “If you are engaged in online gambling, then you are engaged in an addictive product,” said Levant.
Levant said that gambling addiction cases have risen dramatically in the past seven years. This is due to the new access to gambling on cell phones.
Levant also compared smoking ads in the 1960s to gambling ads today. According to Levant, gambling advertisements are too widespread, and therefore encourage the practice of gambling.
“People who engage in online gambling today are at a higher risk of becoming addicted than ever before,” said Levant.
Levant identified several signs of gambling addiction. The most common (and dangerous) is a person who is chasing losses. “Once you start trying to get money back and chase your losses, then you’re in trouble,” said Levant.
Other signs of gambling addiction are betting money that isn’t yours, borrowing money to gamble, and gambling when you know that you cannot afford it.
“Once someone is addicted to gambling, the addiction consumes them,” Levant said. “When I was addicted, the addiction ate me alive and took everything from me. Gambling addiction can make you feel out-of-control and bring significant financial stress and harm to people and families.”
In his recovery, Levant has devoted his life to helping gambling addicts recover. When he was an addict, he took money from his clients, and used that money to gamble. Eventually, Levant sought help, but had to face trial due to his actions. The judge recognized that he was battling an addiction, and didn’t sentence him to jail time. Levant used this to forge a new path, becoming a licensed therapist so he could help people who were going down the same destructive path that had destroyed his life.
Levant closed with advice to the Woodberry boys: “Someone you know may become a gambling addict,” said Levant. “If anyone is a gambling addict, they should say these three words: ‘I need help.’ By admitting that you need help, you are on the path to recovery.”
— Reporting by Jack Jensen ’26
— Reporting by Jack Jensen ’26
Woodberry Forest School is an exceptional private school community for high school boys in grades nine through twelve. It is one of the top boarding schools in the United States and one of the only all-boys, all-boarding schools in the country.
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