Coming in February on FRONTLINE
A general interior overall view inside Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium during the NFL AFC Championship football game, New England Patriots against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Jan.24, 2016 in Denver. The Broncos beat the Patriots 20-18. (David Drapkin via AP)
Over the past several years, daily fantasy sports have become big business, with fans betting an estimated $2.6 billion in 2015.
Now, this booming industry is under fire as a growing number of states question its legality. Do daily fantasy sports amount to illegal gambling, as several states’ attorneys general are now contending? Or are they an entertainment product, as industry leaders DraftKings and FanDuel say they are?
On Feb. 9, on the heels of the Super Bowl, FRONTLINE and The New York Times delve into the proliferation of online sports betting.
The Fantasy Sports Gamble investigates the meteoric rise of daily fantasy sports, the serious challenges now facing the industry, and the wider world of online sports gambling — which saw an estimated $140 billion in illegal sports betting in 2014, despite laws meant to stop it.
Also this month: It isn’t news that America is in the grip of a heroin epidemic. You’ve heard (or perhaps experienced) the heartbreaking stories of loss, seen the staggering overdose statistics, and listened to politicians saying that something must be done.
But on Feb. 23, FRONTLINE places America’s heroin crisis in fresh and provocative light with Chasing Heroin — a searing two-hour special that illuminates the roots of the epidemic, and explores what happens when addiction is treated like a public health issue, not a crime.
In addition to chronicling the raw stories of individual addicts, the documentary examines shifts in U.S. drug policy, probes the heroin epidemic’s years-in-the-making social context, and explores bold new approaches to ending it.
Here’s a closer look at our February lineup:
Feb. 9 — The Fantasy Sports Gamble
FRONTLINE, in partnership with The New York Times, investigates fantasy sports and online sports betting.
Feb. 23 — Chasing Heroin
This two-hour investigation of America’s heroin crisis from veteran FRONTLINE producer Marcela Gaviria premieres on air and online at a special time — 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST.
Check your local PBS station for airtimes.
