We're incredibly grateful to Barron’s for featuring Collectors MD and helping bring national attention to an important conversation that has gone largely overlooked.

As the hobby continues to evolve, it's more important than ever to have honest, evidence-informed discussions about the ways collecting environments can influence behavior - for both adults and young collectors. Awareness isn't about taking the fun out of collecting. It's about helping people engage more intentionally, recognize risk, and know that support exists when the hobby starts taking more than it gives.

Thank you to the Barron's team for shining a light on this important and pressing issue, and for helping amplify the mission of Collectors MD.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/pokemon-baseball-cards-gambling-8ebdf1be?st=capAaV&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink#

Alyx Effron | July 2, 2026

Presented By All Touch Case

For many people in recovery, there comes a point where gambling no longer feels like the biggest threat. Months pass. Years pass. We self-exclude. We stop visiting casinos. We avoid sportsbooks. We delete the apps. We begin rebuilding our lives.

It may start to feel like the darkest chapter of our lives is finally in the rearview mirror. We convince ourselves that because we’ve stopped gambling, we’ve left everything that came with it behind. But the reality is, the psychology behind gambling didn’t disappear – it evolved.

Today, many of the same behavioral principles that the gambling industry has spent decades refining have quietly spread into other industries. While the products may look different, many rely on the exact same formula: uncertainty, intermittent rewards, flashing graphics, wheel spins, randomization, social validation, leaderboards, limited-time offers, fear of missing out, and the constant possibility that the next click, trade, pack, or purchase could be the one that changes everything.

And it’s not just across trading cards or box breaks. Daytrading. Prediction markets. Cryptocurrency. NFTs. Mystery boxes. Gaming. Even social media.

Each offers its own version of variable rewards and high-stimulation decision making. None of these activities are inherently harmful on their own, and many people participate responsibly, but they can become problematic when approached without awareness, intention, or healthy boundaries. And for someone with a history of gambling disorder or compulsive behaviors, they deserve careful attention.

One of the biggest misconceptions in recovery is believing that abstaining from traditional gambling automatically means we’re no longer vulnerable.

The products may change, but the psychological formula often stays the same. Awareness – not fear – is your greatest protection.

In reality, many of these newer environments don’t have the same guardrails that casinos and sportsbooks do. There may be no self-exclusion programs, mandatory responsible gaming messaging, cool-off periods, deposit limits, or regulatory oversight designed to protect consumers. The responsibility often falls almost entirely on the individual.

That doesn’t mean we have to avoid every activity forever. It does mean we have to approach them intentionally. Ask yourself: “Why am I doing this?” “Am I making a thoughtful decision, or am I chasing a feeling?” “Would I still make this choice if there were no chance of a big payoff?” “Am I staying within my budget and values?”

Recovery isn’t just about avoiding one specific activity. It’s about learning to recognize the patterns that once controlled us. The names change. The technology changes. The marketing changes. But the psychology often stays remarkably similar.

The goal isn’t to live in fear or avoid every form of risk. It’s to understand ourselves well enough to recognize when excitement begins turning into compulsion. Being five, ten, or even twenty-plus years sober doesn’t make us immune. Being self-excluded doesn’t eliminate vulnerability or temptation. Recovery isn’t something we accomplish once – it’s something we actively practice every single day.

The more we understand how these environments are designed to capture our attention and influence our decisions, the better equipped we are to participate intentionally – or choose not to participate at all. Awareness creates choice. Choice creates freedom. And freedom is what recovery is all about.

#CollectorsMD
The industries may be different, but many are built on the same psychological principles. Protect your recovery by staying curious, staying intentional, and remembering that your greatest investment will always be your long-term well-being.

—
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This Daily Reflection is sponsored by All Touch Case, a premium display and protection solution designed to showcase your cards while keeping them safe. Use code COLLECTORSMD for 15% off your order. Collect. Protect. It’s a peace of mind.

https://collectorsmd.com/the-modern-gambling-landscape/

Alyx Effron | June 18, 2026

Presented By All Touch Case

In a lot of ways, recovery can be compared to baseball analytics. In baseball, even the greatest players in the world are expected to fail most of the time. In recovery, however, the margins are far less forgiving.

A player who gets a hit three out of every ten at-bats is considered exceptional. A .300 batting average can earn you All-Star appearances, MVP votes, and potentially a plaque in Cooperstown. Think about that for a moment. The very best players in the world fail roughly 70% of the time.

Recovery doesn’t work that way. In recovery, we’re asked to do something far more difficult. We have to bat 1.000. No pop flies. No ground outs. No strikeouts. Every single day requires another quality at-bat.

A single might look like attending a meeting when you don’t feel like it. A double might be making an uncomfortable phone call, setting a boundary, or deleting an app that’s been pulling at you. A triple might be sitting with anxiety, grief, loneliness, or boredom without escaping into old behaviors. A home run might be making it through one of the worst days of your life without gambling, spending, or chasing something to numb the pain.

The challenge is that nobody gets to call time out. Life keeps throwing us curveballs. There are layoffs. Divorces. Financial problems. Deaths. Health scares. Relationship issues. Unexpected triggers. Life has a way of delivering moments that blindside us without warning and lie completely outside our control.

We’ve all seen it happen. One year of sobriety. Five years. Ten years. Twenty years. Recovery milestones that once seemed unimaginable, followed by a relapse no one saw coming. A sobering reminder that complacency can emerge at any stage of the journey.

Not because we suddenly forgot everything we learned. Not because we don’t care about our recovery. But because recovery doesn’t reward yesterday’s at-bats. It asks us to step into the batter’s box again today. And again tomorrow. And again the day after that.

In baseball, batting .300 makes you elite. In recovery, one bad swing can change everything.

This isn’t meant to create fear. It’s meant to create humility. The thought of batting 1.000 for the rest of our lives can sound overwhelming, even impossible. But recovery rarely asks us to solve the rest of our lives today. It simply asks us to take responsibility for today. A one-day-at-a-time mindset transforms an intimidating lifelong commitment into something far more approachable, realistic, and manageable. We don’t have to worry about every future temptation all at once. We simply have to focus on the at-bat in front of us and make the best decision we can with the pitch we’re currently being thrown.

Recovery isn’t something we achieve once and get to keep forever. It’s something we protect, nurture, and recommit to every single day. Every meeting. Every boundary. Every honest conversation. Every difficult emotion we allow ourselves to feel instead of escape. Every decision to pick up the phone instead of pick up old behaviors. Those are our base hits. And eventually, those base hits start to add up, strengthening our confidence and deepening our resilience to face whatever pitch comes next.

The irony is that while recovery requires us to bat 1.000, none of us do it perfectly. We all have moments of complacency, close calls, and situations where we realize just how vulnerable we still are. That’s exactly why we stay connected, hold ourselves accountable, and keep showing up – not just for ourselves, but for each other.

Recovery isn’t about becoming invincible. It’s about respecting the fact that one swing can change the game. So today, take your next at-bat seriously. Protect your recovery. Stay humble. Stay connected. And keep putting the ball in play.

#CollectorsMD
Recovery isn’t about predicting every future pitch. It’s about stepping into today’s batter’s box and doing the best we can with the pitch we’re currently being thrown.

—
Follow Us On Social: @collectorsmd
Join Our Support Group
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Read More Daily Reflections

Support The CMD Foundation

This Daily Reflection is sponsored by All Touch Case, a premium display and protection solution designed to showcase your cards while keeping them safe. Use code COLLECTORSMD for 15% off your order. Collect. Protect. It’s a peace of mind.

https://collectorsmd.com/batting-1-000-in-recovery/

I had the pleasure this week of joining Jimmy Morris, host of Gambling Recovery: Taking Back Your Life, for a deeply personal conversation about gambling addiction, recovery, and the journey of rebuilding a life after active addiction.

We discussed my experiences with sports betting, live blackjack, compulsive collecting, and overspending, as well as the role of secrecy, shame, and ego in addiction, and how those struggles ultimately led to treatment, recovery, and the creation of Collectors MD.

We also explored the similarities between gambling addiction and gambling-adjacent collecting environments, the importance of community and accountability, and how turning pain into purpose can help others find hope and support.

A huge thank you to Jimmy for creating space for this conversation and for the incredible work he does helping people take back their lives from gambling addiction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGNG4Sbbnqk&t=3820s

One of the hardest parts of compulsive collecting, overspending, or gambling addiction isn't the behavior itself.

It's the guilt and shame.

When an activity is disguised as a hobby, passion, or childhood nostalgia, it can be difficult to admit it's becoming a problem.

In this clip, Rob Sackowitz shares an important reminder: You are not alone. You are not broken. And you do not have to keep struggling in silence and isolation.

If you're hurting, ask for help. Recovery starts with a conversation.

📍 @rightchoicerecovery
📍 @collectorsmd

You can check out the full episode of The Collector's Compass, featuring Rob Sackowitz, Founder & CEO of Right Choice Recovery, now streaming on all major platforms.

#CollectorsMD | #RightChoiceRecovery | #RipResponsibly

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZPyLqZxE-T/