Villanova‘s winning streak reached seven games Saturday when it blew out Pennin the Big 5 Classic championship game. A season-opening loss to nationally ranked BYU in Las Vegas preceded a stretch of games in which Kevin Willard’s Wildcats didn’t have any blips.
They beat their next seven opponents by an average margin of 19.7 points, and at 7-1 entering this week even made it onto some Associated Press Top 25 voters’ ballots as they climbed to KenPom’s 35th-ranked team by adjusted efficiency. But those wins came against teams ranked 142nd or lower by KenPom metrics.
The tuneups were over, and it was time for a test. Perhaps the biggest test of all: against No. 2 Michigan, a team that has been a buzz saw of sorts through the first five weeks of the college basketball season.
Villanova learned that the hard way Tuesday night in Ann Arbor, Mich., where the Wildcats were run off the floor in an 89-61 loss.
Here’s what we learned from Villanova’s step up in competition:
First, the context
Let’s get out of the way first how good Michigan is. The Wolverines are the No. 1 team at both of the main college hoops metrics sites, KenPom and Torvik. They ran through the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas a few weeks ago with wins of 40, 30, and 40 points over San Diego State, Auburn, and Gonzaga, the third-ranked team at KenPom and Torvik.
Dusty May has his Michigan squad undefeated at 9-0.
Then Michigan started Big Ten play Saturday with a 101-60 victory over Rutgers.
Dusty May has built a team that will compete for a national title, and one that could be capable of making history along the way.
That being said, Villanova wasn’t nearly good enough, and it started right away with a deer-in-the-headlights start that enabled Michigan to pull away early.
What you can’t do against the best defensive team in the country is give away possessions, and Villanova did that way too often.
Freshman point guard Acaden Lewis had two turnovers in the first five minutes. Villanova watched as its best defensive possession ended with a Michigan offensive rebound and putback. Then came a lazy pass from Bryce Lindsay to Tafara Gapare that led to a runaway dunk by Yaxel Lendeborg that upped Michigan’s lead to 19-7.
Willard called timeout, and the ensuing inbound resulted in a 10-second violation. Michigan scored at the other end on another second-chance basket and its lead was 21-7 with 13 minutes, 40 seconds to go in the first half.
Kevin Willard’s Villanova squad turned the ball over 15 times against Michigan.
Villanova turned it over 10 times in the first half, far too often to have a chance against this type of opponent, and 15 times overall. Six Wildcats each had two turnovers. Michigan had 15 offensive rebounds to Villanova’s six.
Where’s the offense?
Defense has been a problem for the Wildcats over the first five weeks of the season, even against some lighter competition. But offense hasn’t been very worrisome.
Until Tuesday.
Again, Michigan is the best defensive team in the country with its mixture of size, length, and athleticism, but Villanova is going to face some pretty good defenses in the Big East, and there were some concerning things Tuesday night.
Michigan took Lewis and Lindsay out of the game. If not for the isolation skills of Devin Askew, it might have been 53-13 at halftime instead of 53-23. This was Lewis’ first real test since he was benched vs. BYU in the opener, and he wasn’t good enough at getting Villanova into its offense, though he got better as the game went on (and already was out of reach).
The Wildcats got assists on 57.7% of their makes entering Tuesday. They had just six assists on 21 makes Tuesday (28.6%), and one of them came on a last-second three-pointer.
Michigan, with its length, took away Villanova’s chances at the rim, and the Wildcats were forced to bomb away from three-point range, especially when they started trailing. They made just 10 of their 37 attempts.
“You try to,” Willard told reporters Tuesday when asked if creating threes was the plan. “But it’s not easy against a very connected defensive team.
“Everyone talks about their offense, but everything is predicated on their defense.”
Rotation roulette
Part of Villanova’s problems on offense came from issues that may pop up against better competition. Willard had to decide what he had tolerance for. Lewis and Lindsay were getting beaten defensively, but reserves Malachi Palmer and Gapare offered little help offensively.
The second unit on the floor meant only Askew could be relied on for offense.
Villanova’s Devin Askew led the team with 18 points against Michigan.
Beyond that, it’s apparent that Willard doesn’t think backup big man Braden Pierce is ready to contribute. He’s Villanova’s only rotation 7-footer, and against a Michigan team that has 7-3 center Aday Mara, Pierce barely saw the floor. Neither did Temple transfer Zion Stanford, who logged just three minutes. Stanford only recently returned from an ankle injury, but he is playing just 5.8 minutes per game.
The game got out of reach fast, but it still seems like Willard is trying to figure out his best mix of players, and that will be something to monitor moving forward.
What’s next?
Tuesday was the kind of game that doesn’t hurt when you lose and really helps when you win.
Up next is the opposite. Villanova welcomes Pittsburgh to Finneran Pavilion on Saturday, and while the ACC school isn’t one of the cupcakes that have been on Villanova’s schedule to date, the 5-5 Panthers aren’t very good. Villanova will be expected to win, but it will be another chance to see the new-look Wildcats against a power-conference foe.
From there, only a Dec. 19 trip to Milwaukee to face a solid Wisconsin team separates Villanova from its Big East opener on Dec. 23 at Seton Hall.
The real games are underway, and the Wildcats took a big punch Tuesday.
We are a week removed from the FIFA World Cup draw, and in the aftermath, a proverbial ball is beginning to roll on several fronts. FIFA opened its latest presale ticket lottery on Thursday for fans to enter the random selection phase of the tournament, the latest chance to hope and wish your name will be called to purchase tickets — ones that might still be priced in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars by the time it’s your turn.
These past few days have provided a greater opportunity to examine FIFA’s ways and which nations, cities, and fans benefited or flopped as next steps begin to trickle out.
With that said, these are our picks for winners and losers post-draw.
Wilson Velez, 36, of Northeast Philadelphia, Pa., (left), Edwin Martinez, 25, of Central Philadelphia, watched the FIFA World Cup draw at Stateside Live! on Friday.
👍🏽 Philly getting Brazil, France, and Croatia
For many fans, it’s going to be a breathing-into-a-brown-bag moment watching players like Brazil and Real Madrid’s Vinicús Jr., Croatian midfield maestro Luka Modric, and countless players on France’s squad, undoubtedly headlined by forward sensation Kylian Mbappé, chasing World Cup glory at Lincoln Financial Field. Especially when you consider the French are one of the early favorites to win next summer’s spectacle at +700, according to futures odds on FanDuel.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (right) is presented with a novelty World Cup ticket by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in October.
👎🏽 Dynamic pricing on tickets
For some reason, it just seems counterintuitive for FIFA to stress its desire to grow the game — and then turn around and make the world’s biggest sporting event available only to those who still have expendable cash in this current economic climate.
This is the first time in the history of the tournament that soccer’s governing body has opted to use dynamic pricing for tickets, and some of the early price tags to secure a seat, even during presale, are laughable. Now, some matchups could see prices fall slightly, but it’s the World Cup; demand will always be higher than supply, and that holds for the bulk of the 72 group-stage matches beginning June 11.
MetLife Stadium was the center of the soccer universe this past summer hosting the semifinals and final of the Club World Cup. It’s on the big stage yet again as host of the World Cup final.
👍🏽 The BIG apple
It was already one thing that MetLife Stadium will be the center of the soccer universe next summer as host for the World Cup final. But after last Friday’s draw, it could be argued that the New York-New Jersey delegation hit the jackpot with the group-stage matches and nations coming to East Rutherford, N.J.
First up, Brazil-Morocco (June 13, 8 p.m.), when Morocco is one of the hottest nations in the world, with its senior team just one place outside the Top 10 in FIFA’s latest world rankings. Additionally, MetLife will also host European giants Germany (June 25), England (June 27), and one of the most highly anticipated rematches in France-Senegal (June 16, 3 p.m.). The Senegalese defeated a star-studded French side in the 2002 World Cup, and it’s been the talk since this match got paired.
Haiti’s Leverton Pierre controls the ball during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match against the United States in June.
👎🏽 Banned fans
Some fans won’t be able to see their team play live in the United States due to immigration rules and restrictions. Nations like Iran and Haiti will find out just how strong their expat communities are here in the States, but both coaches wouldn’t mind a little diplomacy.
“[President Donald Trump] is a peace prize winner,” Migné said after the event, alluding to the U.S. president winning FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize award. “Maybe he will continue, and it will open the possibility for our fans to come here.”
A fan of Ghana cheers prior to the start of the African Cup of Nations Group B soccer match between Mozambique and Ghana in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in January 2024.
👍🏽 African-Caribbean vibes come to Philly
In addition to the big nations like France, Brazil, and Croatia, Philly will host matches featuring the Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Curaçao. Having matches here in Philly that feature the first two bode well for the city’s sizable West African population situated primarily in the West and Southwest sections of the city. They’re also among the top teams in Africa, with Ghana consistently fielding a strong national team, and the Ivory Coast, the defending AFCON champions, ran through qualifying without conceding a goal.
As for Curaçao, the nation with the smallest population competing in the World Cup, despite making Jamaica’s road a bit harder by defeating them in November and forcing the Reggae Boyz into a three-team FIFA playoff in March, people will naturally root for the underdog in a city where the underdog mantra has been fully embraced.
The presence of Ice and Border Patrol agents at World Cup matches could be an issue for fans.
👎🏽 ICE fears
The Club World Cup served as a litmus test of how active U.S. immigration and customs enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol would be in detaining fans attending the event, specifically in Philadelphia. Before that tournament, there were legitimate fears that ICE would be stationed outside arenas targeting fans.
While there were instances, and still could be next year, for the most part, it wasn’t as large as some led people to believe. During the Club World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino was explicitly asked in a room full of reporters if he had any concerns about the enforcement and harassment of fans, to which he replied: “I don’t have any concerns about anything … most important for us is to be able to guarantee safety for the fans who come to the game.”
It’s important to know that a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told The Inquirer via a statement in June that “U.S. Customs and Border Protection is committed to working with our local and federal partners … as we do with every major sporting event, including the Super Bowl. Our mission remains unchanged.”
A rendering shared by FIFA of what Philadelphia’s 2026 World Cup fan fest site at Lemon Hill Park is expected to look like.
👍🏽 Philly’s party HQ
While planning for the next phase of the process is still forthcoming, the revival of the Lemon Hill Mansion and grounds in Brewerytown ahead of the World Cup is promising as FIFA will use the park and grounds as the Philadelphia chapter of its fan festival.
A storied park with incredible views of the city will receive a much-needed facelift and serve as the side stage on matchdays for the six games scheduled to come through Philly. It’s steps from the larger Art Museum area and the Parkway, which will be a fun time to navigate for visitors from around the world, said Meg Kane, the host city executive for Philadelphia Soccer 2026, responsible for planning the event in the city. However, questions still remain on things like transportation, logistics, vendors, and more, but it’s December, so we’re just going to ride out on the excitement of what’s to come.
Philadelphia’s FringeArts will return to offering seasonal programming, in addition to its monthlong Fringe Festival, beginning with a Winter-Spring 2026 season, the organization announced this week.
The legendary festival, known for experimental and boundary-pushing theater, previously offered year-round programming before the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. In recent years, it has seen record-breaking audience growth, prompting producing director Nell Bang-Jensen to expand beyond the month of September.
“I’m really proud to say [Fringe Festival 2025] was actually, numbers-wise, our most successful festival ever, which just feels like a light shining, in terms of arts organizations having a win right now,” said Bang-Jensen, who took the helm last year after serving as Theatre Horizon’s artistic director. “It’s an experience that can’t be replicated on a screen, and an experience that celebrates Philly, and I think people are really here for that.”
The Philly Fringe is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the country. Based on the number of participating venues across the city, Bang-Jensen said, Philly Fringe ranks first ahead of other notable festivals in Rochester, N.Y., and Minneapolis.
The 2025 Fringe Festival was the largest-ever produced in its 29-year history with 353 shows. More than 35,000 tickets were sold during the month of September, which was a record high, and saw a 17% increase in unique ticket buyers from last year, which “means it’s not just the same people buying more tickets,” said Bang-Jensen.
She added that they have seen success in reaching younger audiences this year as well, with more than half of the audience composed of Millennials and Gen Z for the first time.
For the Winter-Spring 2026 season, FringeArts will present four productions from local and international artists at its Old City venue, along with a monthly series of Scratch Nights that invite artists to present works in progress.
Philadelphia artist Jenn Kidwell will stage her new work “we come to collect: a flirtation with capitalism” at FringeArts in January 2026.
Jenn Kidwell, the Obie Award-winning cowriter behind The Underground Railroad Game, will stage the Philadelphia premiere of her new work, we come to collect: a flirtation with capitalism (Jan. 22-24), with ASL artist Brandon Kazen-Maddox. It’s an irreverent exploration of “the pigsty of American consumerism.”
Frequent Fringe artist Lee Minora will bring back her solo show, Baby Everything (Feb. 26-28), for another run. The interactive performance follows a protagonist who doomscrolls through her anxieties about the state of the world. Minora “challenges us to see ourselves as others do, no matter how endearing or insufferable,” wrote Julie Zeglen in The Inquirer’s roundup of the best shows of Fringe Fest 2025.
Japanese artist Hiroaki Umeda is globally renowned for combining choreography and dynamic digital staging. He’s presenting two shows on a U.S. tour as a double billing: Moving State 1 and the solo performance, assimilating (March 14-15).
Lastly, FringeArts will stage Girl Dolls: An American Musical (May 8-17) from Philadelphia artists Jackie Soro and Pax Ressler, who’ve teamed up with the Bearded Ladies Cabaret for a production billed as “part tea party, part identity crisis.” They ask, “What does your favorite doll reveal about your childhood trauma?”
In addition to year-round programming, FringeArts will launch an artist-in-residency program for fostering original works. The Albert M. Greenfield Residency at FringeArts — funded by the local foundation of the same name — will invite three individuals or artist groups to develop new theatrical productions. The inaugural 2026 recipients will be selected by a panel of Philadelphia creatives.
Bang-Jensen said she’s grateful that Philly audiences have shown up for the “city of makers” every year and she hopes to continue expanding FringeArts’ reach.
“As many arts organizations are actually feeling pressure in 2025 just based on the economic environment and the political environment to do work that’s a little more mainstream, we have this wide-open field to do more for people who like things off the beaten path,” said Bang-Jensen.
Tickets for FringeArts’ Winter-Spring 2026 season go on sale to FringeArts members on Dec. 10 and the public on Dec. 12 at fringearts.com.
Before moving into his North Philadelphia home 13 years ago, Abel Tootle Jr. had rented small apartments, all under 800 square feet. He decided to make the leap to homeownership to pursue his passion for interior design and create a space that reflects his personal style.
“The timing was perfect,” said Tootle. And so, he moved into his circa-1910, three-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot house. Becoming a homeowner meant full freedom in designing his space — and no more lugging clothes to the laundromat, a feature of which he is most appreciative, he said.
His home’s look has been evolving since.
“I truly believe a home is never done. I was given every opportunity to paint, carpet, and design as I wish; however, I did not make any structural changes at all,” Tootle said. “My focus remains on creating a very English-country-house feel with special attention to my culture and interests.”
He favorite design elements include books — there are dozens and dozens displayed throughout the home, not just on shelves but arranged intentionally on and under tables, and stacked in towers rising from the red-pine-hardwood floors — as well as antiques, colorful area rugs in various sizes, art, lighting, and mirrors.
Colorful patterned rugs adorn not just the floors, but tabletops and walls as well. Tootle says his interior designs are “layered.”Books fill a glass-doored cabinet and art covers the wall at the foot of the stairs.A desk is topped with a book-filled cabinet, adjacent to the canopy bed.The canopy bed in Tootle’s double parlor room in his North Philadelphia home.
Tootle was initially attracted to his home’s location because he worked at Girard Medical Center. The commute was 15 minutes by bicycle or a 30-minute walk.
“I was raised not too far from my current address as a teenager; hence, I am very familiar with the neighborhood,” he noted. He also appreciates the sense of community, being minutes from Center City, and the architecture of the neighborhood.
“The classic brick and stone rowhomes, the spacious interiors of the three-story houses, and the rich history of music, art, and civil rights,” Tootle said. “Shopping, arts, and eateries are other reasons I love where I live, and I especially love the many libraries and museums,” added Tootle.
Tootle’s career is in social work and he has experience in psychotherapy, individual and group therapy, trauma counseling, grief counseling, and drug and alcohol counseling. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, antiquing, and going to the gym.
Books are a central focus in his home — he estimates he owns about 3,000.
Tootle sits in his double parlor surrounded by books and antiques.
“My library is the culmination of 40-plus years of book collecting, trading, and selling. I have purchased books from bookstores, auctions, flea markets, libraries, thrift stores — anywhere books were sold,” he said.
The bulk of the collection focuses on psychology, spirituality, history, art, and interior design, but it also includes poetry, fiction, and science. His favorite writers include James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Peter Gomes, Ellen Langer, Carl Jung, and W.E.B. Du Bois, he said.
“Essentially, I’d like to think my home references the three places I’ve always wanted to live in as a child: a library, a church, and an art gallery or museum — without the pretension,” said Tootle.
Stacks of books overflow from the shelves and tables and onto the floor.Tootle’s S-rolltop desk is one of his most prized antiques.
He’s especially fond of 19th-century antiques.
“I am a sucker for antique lighting and furnishings of this period and have frequently found gems at auctions, estate sales, flea markets, thrift stores, and on the curbs of sidewalks,” he said.
One special acquisition is an antique 60-inch-wide Tiger Oak S-rolltop desk, which he bought from a dealer in Bucks County. It was produced in the late Victorian Era, he said, in the 1890s.
Tootle frequently tries different design layouts by rearranging furniture, changing lighting, and experimenting with colors, patterns, and textures.
“My design ethos is very intentional and, hence, curatorial. I am a maximalist at heart,” continued Tootle. “My interiors are very layered.”
Also, he’s planning on featuring more theatrical elements.
“This includes incorporating more velvets, tassels, deep saturated colors, and sculpture — in the tradition of the late Renzo Mongiardino. Not as a copy, but inspiration,” he said.
In the backyard, he wants to make a mixed-use space.
The exterior of Tootle’s home.
“I would like to have the soil paved over and start a container garden with trees, shrubs, herbs, and vegetables with a small round table accommodating two to four people,” said Tootle. “I rarely use it as it currently stands.”
Is your house a Haven? Nominate your home by email (and send some digital photographs) at properties@inquirer.com.
Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński is mobilized for operatic stardom, and then some.
Microphones love his richly colored falsetto voice, magazine covers like his looks. And behind a dense schedule of multiple trans-Atlantic flights, lies a supportive private life that has him rooted in his native Warsaw with fiancée, family, and Labrador retriever.
The Kimmel Center performances of Handel’s Messiah, Dec. 12-14, come as a curious break from solo concerts and high-profile opera productions. Here, Orliński is an equal partner with three high-caliber soloists plus the Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
But does he really need to do this?
Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński will be making his Philadelphia debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Handel’s “Messiah.”
“‘Tis the season. I love singing Messiah. It’s one of the best things. That’s why I jumped on the opportunity to sing it with Maestro (aka Nézet-Séguin),” said Orliński, (whose friends call him J.J.) in a Zoom interview from the Montreal airport.
“This is the third time [the Philadelphia Orchestra] invited me to do something. Two years ago it was the Bach Mass in B Minor, but I was too busy. Now I have the time.” Sort of.
Within a two-week period, he will bounce between Montreal, Vienna, and Philadelphia. The precedent of a student visa, dating back to his Juilliard School years (2015-2017), makes the immigration process a little easier, saving him from the kind of entry snafus plaguing many Europe-based artists now.
Passport officials, he says, can’t help chatting him up about Juilliard, even though he has gone on to win numerous awards, is regularly seen in European fashion magazines, has two Grammy Award nominations (among his eight recordings, most of which are on the Warner/Erato label), and generates much comment for appearing shirtless at seemingly every opportunity. And that included his 2021 Metropolitan Opera debut in Eurydice, playing Orpheus’ alter ego.
Erin Morley as Eurydice, from left, Joshua Hopkins as Orpheus and Jakub Józef Orliński as Orpheus’s Double appear during a performance of Matthew Aucoin’s “Eurydice” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in November 2021. (Marty Sohl/Met Opera via AP)
Orliński’s physique gets discussed among concertgoers and critics, much in the spirit of pianist Yuja Wang’s concert attire. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, now Opera Philadelphia chief, has also appeared similarly exposed at the Met in years past.
Is this a possible smoke screen for lack of talent? No, because in all their cases, their artistry wins out.
Lingering criticism stings though, Orliński admits. But his legions of social media followers do generate ticket sales. Shirt or no shirt, he would always have mixed reactions among chronically opinionated operagoers.
“It’s OK. I am feeling good with what I’m doing and how I‘m doing it,” he said.
His life resembles that of a rock star but doesn’t sound like one. Well, maybe a little bit on his 2024 album, #LetsBaRock, which has Monteverdi bathed in modern electronic sound. “In the time of Monteverdi, they would change the instrumentation,” he said, “and that’s exactly what we did.”
Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński who will be making his Philadelphia debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Handel’s “Messiah.”
He’s good to his word: The vocal tracks could be lifted out of the electronic context and transplanted exactly into a traditional Monteverdi recording. His recordings (so far) stick close to his home ground in the 18th century, often with worthy pieces previously buried by history.
Orliński’s Philadelphia stage debut returns him to the scene of an early-career heartbreak when he was fresh out of Warsaw’s Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. “I did audition for the Curtis Institute in 2014,” he said. “Curtis has this incredible focus on the individual because it’s such a small school. Amazing faculty.”
He didn’t get in for lack of a slot for countertenors — a specialized male-falsetto voice type that has only entered U.S. mainstream opera in the past 30 years, partly thanks to the outreach efforts of fellow countertenor Roth Costanzo.
Baroque opera, the usual launching point for countertenors, wasn’t often performed in Philadelphia at that time.
In Juilliard, he studied with the noted soprano Edith Wiens. During his New York years, he sang some of his first Messiah performances in Carnegie Hall. Only a year out of Juilliard, he released his first album, Anima Sacra, in 2018 with a cover showing him with bare shoulders.
Only a year out of Juilliard, Jakub Józef Orliński released his first album, “Anima Sacra,” in 2018 with a cover showing him with bare shoulders.
At times, one worries he’ll catch a cold.
But not Orliński, whose health regimen helps him keep up a daunting schedule that, in the first two months of 2026, has 15 performances in two Handel operas. Among them is a cross-Europe tour in the titular role in Giulio Cesare in Egitto.
The Philadelphia concerts boast of star soloists Lucy Crowe, Frédéric Antoun, and Quinn Kelsey. Orliński is fine with being a member of this larger ensemble. Though Handel offers no character portrayals to the individual singers, he sees himself and his colleagues as co-conspirators in telling the central story of the Messiah.
“It’s not just re-creating what was written,” he said. “There are places… where you can write your own cadenzas and ornaments.” Like being a rock star from another century.
Philadelphia Orchestra performs Handel’s “Messiah.” Through Dec. 14, Marian Anderson Hall, 300 S. Broad St., Phila. $43-$240. philorch.ensembleartsphilly.org
One man, buried under $20,000 in online gambling debt, became homeless. A woman lost $13,000 and missed her last five mortgage payments. A mother gambled away her son’s college tuition, piling up over $100,000 in debt.
Such dire stories — shared with gambling helplines in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in recent years — are on the rise. And for the growing number of people, the problem isn’t the casino, but the apps on their phones that let them gamble anywhere, 24-7.
“My family is hosting fundraisers for my son who had a stroke, and here I am, gambling on my phone,” one caller said. “What’s wrong with me?”
The Philadelphia media market — which encompasses the city, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and central and southern New Jersey — has become an epicenter of online gambling in the United States. In 2024, internet gaming and sports wagering revenues alone topped $6 billion in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, up from about $3.6 billion in 2021.
In the same period, the number of calls and texts to 1-800-GAMBLER rose in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, two of only six states in the U.S. where both sports betting and online casino games are legal. But calls about online gambling problems rose significantly more — 180% in Pennsylvania and 160% in New Jersey in that period. In 2019, only about one in 10 Pennsylvania callers said online gambling was the main issue. By 2024, it was every other caller.
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The Inquirer analyzed anonymized helpline call logs, state revenue reports, and advertising data to shed light on how the Philadelphia-area market has become a hub for the online gambling industry. An increasing volume of gamblers face financial devastation as they struggle to get off the apps.
As of this fall, the Philadelphia media market outpaced New York City and Las Vegas as the No. 1 market for internet gambling advertisement, with companies spending more than $37 million on ads between January and September, according to data provided by Nielsen Ad Intel.
As many as 30% of Pennsylvania adults now gamble on online sports with some regularity, according to researchers at Pennsylvania State University who conduct an annual, state-funded survey of online gambling. And as many as 6% of Pennsylvanians, or 785,000 people, are estimated to be problem gamblers, according to the most recent survey, which is not yet published.
While problem gambling has a range of severity, the American Psychiatric Association recognizes it as a mental health condition. A gambling disorder is defined by a persistent pattern of problematic betting with an inability to limit or stop, leading to emotional, financial, and or relational distress.
For many, the losses are crushing. In New Jersey, helpline callers reported a combined $28 million in debt at least among people who disclosed this financial information, averaging about $34,000 for each of these callers. In Pennsylvania, 60% of those people willing to share said they owed money, though the state does not track totals.
Across both states, callers reported they had drained entire retirement accounts, lost homes to bank foreclosure, or blown through entire paychecks. One anonymous caller in New Jersey reported losing $400,000 in a single night — his life savings.
“We [also] have people who call us and say, ‘I think I’m doing this too much. I think I need a little bit of help,’” said Josh Ercole, executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, the state-funded nonprofit that runs the hotline for the commonwealth’s residents.
Four calls made in New Jersey between 2023 and 2024 were about children under the age of 12 struggling with gambling problems, according to the state’s fiscal year report. Ten other calls were about children under the age of 18. In Pennsylvania, 10 calls involved children between the ages of 13 and 17.
Experts say the explosion of sports betting and casino apps has fueled what is increasingly seen as a public health crisis, as gambling profits and state tax revenues derived from them have soared since sports betting’s legalization in 2018. And Philadelphia is now viewed as something of a promised land for e-gambling boosters.
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Uttara Madurai Ananthakrishnan, an economics professor at the University of Washington who has studied the psychology of gambling, said lawmakers have struggled to keep pace with the industry’s meteoric growth.
“I don’t think people expected it to explode at this level,” said Madurai Ananthakrishnan, who previously worked in Pennsylvania. “All of this is going to slowly add up and cause a ton of issues downstream.”
Harrisburg also benefited handsomely from the high rollers, drawing $165 million last year in gambling taxes, up from $46 million five years prior. About $10 million was earmarked for gambling addiction helplines and treatment programs, which came directly from industry profits.
Online betting now accounts for nearly half of all gambling revenue in Pennsylvania, according to an Inquirer analysis of state reports. Pennsylvanians wagered a staggering $8.3 billion during the 2024-25 fiscal year in online sports betting alone, making it by far the most popular gambling method. Total revenue for sportsbook and iGaming sites rose past $2.9 billion last year.
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In New Jersey gaming revenue was nearly $6.3 billion in 2024 — $3.3 billion of which came from internet gaming and sports wagering, according to the state’s Casino Control Commission’s annual report.
Yet the amount spent online is almost certainly higher than what states can track — as is the number of people who have developed online problems.
Caron Treatment Center, a Pennsylvania-based substance use treatment facility, said 160 people in their inpatient treatment problem were struggling with gambling this year — a 162% increase from five years ago.
“I’ve been getting call after call about gambling,” said Eric Webber, a behavioral health specialist and gambling counselor at Caron. “It’s a national crisis that doesn’t have a national solution.”
Fewer than two dozen gambling sites are technically legal in Pennsylvania. But thanks to pervasive online advertising, many gamblers now use so-called offshore gambling sites that are not regulated by the state.
As of last year, more than 20% of online gamblers were using these illegal or unregulated sites, according to the 2024 Penn State report. Such sites often lack state-mandated guardrails like easily allowing users to set weekly betting limits or request a “self-exclusion” — avoluntary ban from licensed casinos, internet-based gambling, video gaming terminals, and fantasy sports wagering.
Self-exclusions in Pennsylvania are higher this year than last year — 8,315 people have already opted out compared with the 7,489 people who requested a ban through Dec. 31 of last year.
Major online sportsbooks say they are going above and beyond.
Beyond self-imposed spending limits, FanDuel, one of the largest sports betting advertisers in the Philadelphia market, introduced a dashboard to allow gamblers to track their spending habits. The company also began tracking betting patterns on its platform and alerting customers when they bet more than their normal wager.
“When users attempt to deposit significantly more than their predicted amount, we surface that information to them and prompt them to reduce their deposit or to set a go-forward deposit limit,” a FanDuel spokesperson said.
DraftKings, in a statement, said it works closely with a gambling company alliance to support responsible betting, “leveraging technology to help detect signs of potentially problematic behavior.”
Some lawmakers want to see more regulation.State Rep. Tarik Khan, a Democrat who represents parts of Montgomery County and Philadelphia, has called for hearings to examine best practices to rein in an industry that he said heavily targets youth.
“More and more people, especially young people, are getting addicted to it, and blowing large portions of their paychecks on feeding this addiction,” Khan said. “It’s already pervasive, and it’s going to get worse.”
‘I’ve gambled everything away on FanDuel’
In New Jersey, more than half of the callers to gambling hotlines who disclosed their age were under 35. In Pennsylvania, people under 35 accounted for 41% of callers.
“Things have shifted to a younger crowd,” said Ercole, of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania. “Typically our highest call volume used to be in the 35 to 55 ranges.”
People from all professions are affected — nurses, construction workers, software engineers, chefs, attorneys, postal workers, microbiologists, and tattoo artists. Some are students, retirees, or unemployed.
Regardless of one’s income level, online gambling can put serious strain on personal and professional lives. Some people told of losing contact with their parents, getting divorced, or being cut off from friends.
Others lost jobs or had their homes and cars repossessed.
“I have nothing,” a 30-year-old caller told a New Jersey helpline operator in 2023. “I’ve gambled everything away on FanDuel.”
Most people are calling about their own gambling problems. But dozens of family members called to ask for help with their loved ones’ betting. In one case, a woman asked if she could use her father’s Social Security number to ban him from online betting apps.
Many gamblers do not call the hotlines or seek professional help until they face financial ruin or they are confronted by family members.
At the height of his problem, one man from New Jersey started gambling on Russian table tennis matches and Australian basketball games. His wife, who spoke to The Inquirer on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive family matter, said his compulsion had grown so severe that he needed a fix to hold him over between sports seasons.
“He was betting $1,000 on a sport he knows nothing about, played by people he’s never heard of before,” his wife said.
The husband kept his gambling hidden for her years, until she found his secret bank account — along with two dozen maxed-out credit cards and records of tribal loans he had taken out, one of them with a 300% interest rate. She also learned that, in 2021, he had quietly lost $70,000 while the newlyweds were on their honeymoon in France.
“It’s horrifying,” she said.
FanDuel, DraftKings and other online gambling apps are displayed on a phone. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
The casino-to-app pipeline
Across Pennsylvania, as of 2024, people sought help for addiction to internet games more than any other type of gambling, especially in the suburbs.
In Montgomery County, the most common type of gambling problem cited was internet slots — with 47 calls. In Bucks, internet sports had the highest volume with 34 calls.
In Philadelphia, home to both Live! Casino and Rivers Casino, in-person games remain the largest reported problem for struggling gamblers, according to call center logs.
Some brick-and-mortar casinos, however, have seen business drop as bettors migrate to their phones. At Rivers Casino Philadelphia, sports-betting revenue fell from $29 million in fiscal 2019 — the first full year of legal wagering — to $11 million in 2024, according to state records.
But even in Philadelphia, a county with two casinos, the number of calls and texts for online gambling shot up in recent years. And experts say that people who gamble exclusively online show heightened risk.
“You can get cut off at the casino. You could walk away from the machine,” said Gillian Russell, an assistant Penn State professor who works on the annual online gambling survey. “Those things that maybe cause breaks, a lot of those things are removed.”
About 13% of people who gamble both online and in person were classified as problem or pathological gamblers, according to the 2024 Penn State survey. Online-only gamblers, though just 3% of the total gambling population, showed even greater risk: 37% fell into problem categories.
Prop bets, the practice of betting on various occurrences within a game rather than just the outcome, are a pointed concern. Such wagers have come under scrutiny as bet-fixing schemes ensnare athletes from the NBA, MLB, the NCAA, and even niche sports like table tennis.
Among normal gamblers, however, prop bettors are far more likely to develop problems, Russell said. Webber, the gambling counselor, likened in-game prop betting to a constant stream of small dopamine hits, which create a kind of withdrawal.
And with gambling sites offering bonus cash and rewards points, he said, the temptation can feel constant.
“DraftKings says, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen you in a couple weeks, here’s $50.’ The local beer distributor doesn’t say, ‘Hey, you haven’t been here in a while, here’s a cold six-pack,’” he said. “That doesn’t help somebody who’s struggling.”
The first World Cup I remember was in 1970. I was a kid in Guatemala, and my brothers and I were so excited. It was the year the Brazilian seleção included Pelé, Jairzinho, Rivellino, Tostão, Gérson, and Zé Maria — there may be no more beautiful example of the sport of soccer than what they showed us.
The Guatemalan team was not in the World Cup that year (or ever 😢), but El Salvador was, and although they were unlikely to advance very far, we felt a lot of Central American solidarity and rooted for them — the underdoggiest of the underdogs.
Philly’s Haitian community doesn’t care if it’s a little lopsided.
“Most Haitians adore Brazil,” the Rev. Dr. Josephys Dafils told me via email, “and now Haiti will face the mighty Brazil on American soil. This is the thrill and magic of soccer. Haitians and Haitian Americans will travel to be part of this historic moment. Many of us will gather for a tailgate celebration outside the stadium, even without tickets, which are extremely expensive. We will bring food, music, vendors, and a traditional Haitian band called rara.”
Numa St. Louis agreed: “For Haitian Americans, this event is more than just a game; it’s a moment of immense pride and emotion. As a Haitian American and die-hard soccer fan, the feelings that arise from witnessing Haiti step onto the world stage are overwhelming. It represents a long-cherished dream; a chance for a nation often faced with adversity to showcase its talent, passion, and spirit on an international platform.”
“The joy of supporting Haiti, coupled with the opportunity to share the occasion with Brazilian fans,” he told me via email, “underscores the camaraderie found in the beautiful game.”
Dafils, who at one time served as a youth soccer coach in Haiti, said that for the national team to make it to the World Cup at all, they had to overcome almost insurmountable obstacles.
“Armed groups have taken control of nearly 85% of [Haiti’s] capital, as well as major cities across the country. More than one million Haitians have been forced to flee their homes,” he said. “Many people no longer have access to electricity, clean running water, or food. Families are constantly moving from one neighborhood to another in search of safety. [And] amid this dire situation, the Haitian national soccer team has accomplished the extraordinary.”
An example of that? They had to play all the qualifying matches outside of Haiti.
Haiti’s Leverton Pierre controls the ball during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match in June against the United States in Arlington, Texas.
“I have cried tears of joy since Nov. 18, 2025 — the day Haiti qualified for the 2026 World Cup,” Dafils told me. “Nov. 18 also marks the anniversary of the Battle of Vertières in 1803, when Haiti secured its independence from France. The symbolism is profound.”
St. Louis makes another historic connection: Next year’s tournament will also coincide with America’s 250th anniversary, adding another layer of significance.
The Haitian community has a long history in Philadelphia. Hundreds of white slaveholders and those they enslaved fled the Haitian Revolution, first arriving in Philadelphia in 1793; many of those enslaved people gained their freedom here in the years between 1793 and 1796. The community grew and saw waves of immigration throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, prompted by political turmoil and natural disasters.
The shadow of Trump’s immigration policies “loom large” — even over an event like the World Cup match, according to St. Louis.
“The cancellation of the Temporary Protected Status program threatens to strip many Haitians of their legal ability to remain in the United States, leaving them vulnerable to deportation,” he said. “Furthermore, Haiti is among the 19 countries whose citizens are banned from entering the U.S., which will hinder potential visitors from attending the matches.”
But he and Dafils always return to the thrill and magic of the World Cup match.
“It has taken 52 years for Haiti to return to the World Cup. None of us know when we will see this again. I was not yet born in 1974, and I never thought I would witness such a moment,” Dafils said.
“This match symbolizes hope,” St. Louis said, “a celebration of cultural connections that transcend borders. Even amid political challenges and the looming impact of immigration policies, this gathering promises to foster unity among diverse communities, showcasing the power of sports to uplift and inspire.”
“As the day approaches, the anticipation grows for what promises to be an exhilarating clash, filled with heartwarming moments, passionate displays, and the acknowledgment of Haiti’s journey,” he added.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t recommend perusing the annual National Security Strategy of the United States of America. It generally summarizes the foreign policy direction in which the current administration is headed, and makes for lengthy, dry reading.
But the new 33-page document is so shocking — even given what we already know about this administration’s behavior — that Americans need to pay attention.
The NSS 2025 ignores the real security threats the U.S. faces in favor of praising white nationalist policies at home and demanding our democratic allies adopt the same. It promotes the myth that President Donald Trump can create a stable world by doing “deals” with authoritarian Moscow and Beijing.
As for Russia’s invasion and brutalization of Ukraine, no word, except for chastising Europe for obstructing Trump’s efforts to force a pro-Russian “peace” plan on Kyiv. No wonder Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov quickly announced that the report was “largely consistent with our vision.”
The document envisions a world in which Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping dominate the globe in concert, each controlling his own sphere of influence; it labels Trump’s intended control over the Western Hemisphere the “Monroe Doctrine Trump Corollary.”
In reality, if Trump pursues this megalomaniacal mirage, he will facilitate the efforts of China and Russia to undermine U.S. security, destroy U.S. alliances, and dominate the world.
What’s so revealing about the NSS is how much it has changed from the 2017 version released after Trump’s first year in office. Back then, the strategy referenced “the revisionist powers of China and Russia [who] want to shape a world antithetical to U.S. values and interests.” Russia, the document added, “aims to weaken U.S. influence in the world and divide us from our allies and partners.”
The security threat from both countries has only worsened since then. What has changed is the personnel around the president.
Gone are the professionals and knowledgeable advisers (except for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has largely been pushed to the sidelines). Present are the sycophants who flatter Trump’s brilliance and advance the white nationalist MAGA line.
It’s no wonder there’s no reference to rising Chinese military threats to Taiwan. Or to massive Chinese cyberattacks on our country. One, called Salt Typhoon by U.S. intelligence agencies, has compromised U.S. telecommunications networks; another has penetrated U.S. infrastructure, including water supply plants, electricity grids, and transportation.
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Yet, in typical contradictory behavior, the Trump administration just halted plans to impose sanctions on China’s Ministry of State Security in response to Salt Typhoon.
The security plan devotes pages to Trump’s penchant for trade deals and tariffs with Beijing, which it claims will ensure U.S. superiority in advanced technology.
In another capitulation, however, Trump just agreed that Nvidia can sell advanced H200 chips to China, threatening that very U.S. superiority in advanced technology. Trump apparently wants to avoid displeasing Xi before traveling to Beijing for a summit in April. The president doesn’t want to interfere with his hopes of closing a brilliant trade deal.
In other words, national security can be ignored when it contradicts the prospect of illusory economic gains — whether it be deals with China or Russia. And the president counts on his brilliance to secure both with his pals Putin and Xi (although he has repeatedly been bested by each of them).
But the uglier and more gut-wrenching flaw is the document’s attack on Europe, its democratic values, and its support for Ukraine.
The 2017 NSS read: “A strong and free Europe is of vital importance to the United States. We are bound together by our shared commitment to the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law.”
The “Promoting European Greatness” section of the new NSS echoes Vice President JD Vance’s tirade against European democracies, which I heard firsthand at the Munich Security Conference in February. Rather than speaking about the Russian war on Ukraine that threatens all of Europe, Vance denounced Germany for not inviting the extreme right, neo fascist Alternative für Deutschland party into a governing coalition.
The 2025 NSS contends that Europe is on the verge of “civilizational erasure” because of immigration policies; instead, it promotes (white) nationalist, anti-immigration political parties. It slurs the European Union for its multilateralism (which the United States promoted after World War II, and which brought political and economic stability to the continent).
And instead of supporting NATO allies as Russia attacks them with drones, cuts their underwater cables, and conducts sabotage and assassinations on European soil, the White House blames the Europeans for “regarding Russia as an existential threat.”
“Our goal,” the document reads, “should be to help Europe correct its current trajectory.”
There is something truly sick here.
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, in October.
Trump thinks China and Russia are his potential partners, while Europe is in the way — on Ukraine, on human rights, on warnings about Russia, on its own regulation of technology. Forget about common values or shared commitment to the principles of democracy and the rule of law.
Unabashed to intervene in domestic European politics, the document calls on Europeans to restore “strategic stability” with Russia, meaning pressure Kyiv into signing a deal that consigns Ukraine to permanent domination by Moscow.
And the U.S. wants Europe to take over most of NATO’s conventional defense capabilities, from intelligence to missiles by 2027, an impossible feat.
Moreover, the White House is actively promoting as part of its “security strategy” the success of radical white nationalist parties in Britain, France, Germany, and elsewhere that are pro-Moscow and eager to do any and all business with Beijing. In other words, a Europe led by parties that are hostile to American security interests.
The NSS 2025 envisions an alliance of authoritarian governments and their imitators, including Russia, China, the United States – and far-right European parties that dislike NATO, want to end theEuropean Union, and prefer deals with dictators to defending democracy.
This is what Trump advocates, although he doesn’t grasp that it would destroy him as well as his country.
Fortunately, Europe won’t capitulate, nor will our allies in Asia. Nor would most Americans, I believe, if they only knew what the Trump national security policy is all about.
On March 23, 1933, the Nazis passed the Enabling Act, which allowed Adolf Hitler and his cabinet to pass any laws — without approval from the Reichstag — even if they were unconstitutional. The Trump administration is effectively doing the same thing by ignoring court orders, disappearing people based on how they look without regard to their citizenship or legal status to reside here, and blowing them out of the water with impunity. Now the U.S. Supreme Court “shadow docket” is allowing racial gerrymandering to try to steal the 2026 midterms. If this is not fascism, it is certainly not democracy.
James Hohmann,Langhorne
. . .
What has happened to the United States of America? Have we become so inured to the craziness of President Donald Trump that we barely seem to bat an eye while the situations and pronouncements become more and more bizarre and evil? Yes, evil. What else can you call what is happening all around us? The bombing of reputed drug smugglers at sea was terrifying. Planes swooping down and obliterating the boats and crew. Now we find out we murdered the survivors. What we did was a war crime. America does not do that, do we? If that news did not shake you to your emotional core, President Trump called the people of Somalia “garbage“ and wants them all out of the country. Where is the moral outrage? Where are we Americans standing up to protect other Americans? Have we become so used to Trump that we accept evil behavior as normal? His behavior, his deputies’ behavior, is not normal; it is not OK. None of it — the drug boat bombings, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, the racism — none of it is normal, and “We the People “ must stand against it.
Sheryl Kalick,Philadelphia
Congressional maps
The use of the term minorities regarding the gerrymandering of congressional maps in Texas seems inaccurate. A slightly larger number of Texans identify as Hispanic than those who say they are not. And while voters in Texas do not register by party, more Texans choose to participate in primaries as Democrats than as Republicans. In Texas, gerrymandering may be more accurately described as an increasingly extreme attempt to impose the will of a minority on the majority. And that is true regardless of whether the U.S. Supreme Court sees the motivation as racial or political.
Kris J. Kolo,Philadelphia
Retirement stability
Philadelphia’s workers deserve the chance to build real financial security, and I appreciate The Inquirer’s recent coverage of the city’s retirement savings proposal. Too many Philadelphians go their entire careers without access to a basic plan. That gap leaves families vulnerable, and it places additional strain on our social safety net.
The goal of PhillySaves is simple. It makes it easier for employees who want to save and avoids adding new burdens for small businesses that already manage enough responsibilities. There are no employer fees and no complicated reporting. Just an easy, portable option that follows workers from job to job.
Before joining City Council, I worked in Harrisburg as a state representative on retirement security issues and legislation. I saw how many Pennsylvanians age into poverty without access to a plan. PhillySaves reflects that experience and the importance of helping workers save steadily.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson has been clear that improving economic stability for working people is a priority for this Council. PhillySaves is one part of that broader effort. It will not solve every challenge, but it gives thousands of residents a fair chance to start building long-term savings.
Mike Driscoll, 6th District, Philadelphia City Council
Dems need direction
The Democratic Party is a rudderless ship. Its irrational opposition to President Donald Trump has caused it to lose its moral compass and common sense. It no longer works in the best interest of the American people. Its misguided effort at “leverage” betrayed the trust of its constituents and caused unnecessary pain for many. It focused on extending subsidies to the ironically named Affordable Care Act while ignoring the hundreds of billions of dollars in additional spending that it attached to its proposal. Using that time to explore viable alternatives for affordable healthcare would have served everyone better. Extending subsidies implemented during the pandemic is throwing good money after bad.
Democrats pontificated that nobody was above the law while stressing the importance of upholding the rule of law. For years, they ignored immigration laws and allowed millions to cross our borders. They now demonize law enforcement and encourage active resistance when enforcing those same laws. Anyone who crosses the border illegally has broken federal law and is subject to deportation. Democrats are more concerned with the plight of illegal immigrants than the safety of the American citizens they are sworn to protect. They show little sympathy for victims of crime committed by many of those same people whom they failed to vet.
Now, Democratic lawmakers are “reminding” armed service members that they do not need to obey illegal orders. Without examples, their goal is to foment division and instability in our government. If national security is at risk or any lives are lost, those lawmakers have opened themselves up to prosecution. These stunts do nothing to move our country forward. Imagine the reaction if GOP lawmakers made a similar statement during the Biden years.
It is very difficult to understand what Democrats actually stand for. It is painfully obvious what they are against.
Mark Fenstemaker,Warminster, markfense@gmail.com
Trade wars
America is losing the trade wars because the president does not understand trade. While Donald Trump believes trade involves only manufacturing, which contributes about 10% of our economic output, he overlooks the service economy, which includes education and tourism. Trump’s tariffs-based trade war might have made sense in the 1960s, but it is out of step with the current world economy and is helping to fuel our affordability problems.
The current CEOs of Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), and Nvidia, three of America’s biggest and most innovative companies, were educated here but born overseas. Education is one of America’s leading exports and helps contribute to our prosperity, but the administration devalues it and attacks and extorts our most prestigious universities. When Trump attacks Canada and other countries that contribute to American tourism, many of our destination areas, like the Jersey Shore, are diminished.
Trump’s worldview is that all confrontations can be won and all collaboration is defeat. History has proven he’s wrong.
Elliott Miller,Bala Cynwyd
Another bended knee
As he was sworn in just two days after his slim victory in the race for the U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee Republican Matt Van Epps said, “I come to this body as a Christian.” He has also pledged himself to be firmly devoted to Donald Trump and his agenda. How does Rep. Van Epps square the two?
Trump has expectorated upon the tenets of every religion. He is a thug, a bigot, and the most corrupt president ever to serve, enriching himself and his family of grifters to the tune of billions of dollars. He seeks to divide and conquer, and has clearly expressed his hatred and contempt for those who oppose him, embarking upon a campaign of revenge against them. He has contempt for people of color and immigrants, as he seeks to welcome only white people who seek to live here.
Can Christian Rep. Epps cite any facet of his faith that is modeled by the president to whom he is so devoted? The question is rhetorical.
Oren Spiegler,Peters Township
Imperfect harmony
I retired in 1999 after 31 years of teaching in Philadelphia. In 2003, I applied for a mortgage with several local banks. None of them would give me a mortgage based on my retirement income, despite my good credit rating. In the last two years, my prescription plan cost has gone up 60%. My wife’s prescription premium for 2026 has increased by 400%. Other costs have increased dramatically, as well. My retirement income is still the same as it was in 2003.
I read in The Inquirer that Pennsylvania state legislators received a 3.25% cost-of-living raise, and that cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs, each year are mandated for them. I know that eventually the state will give Pennsylvania teachers a COLA. I would prefer to get mine before I die.
Mitchell Bernstein, Philadelphia
Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been married to a narcissist for 28 years. He has gaslighted me for our entire 30 years together. He has had a “work wife” and a flirtation with the next-door neighbor hottie, and he paid for two sexy girls’ dinners (and pies to go) because they happened to be in line in front of us.
After an argument, he even called the police on me. (An entire shift of sheriff officers surrounded our house.) I have developed severely negative emotions toward him, especially when he lies to me. We haven’t had sex in a year. We get along fairly well in day-to-day activities, although it bothers me that I have to be chauffeured everywhere I go, including him waiting while I have my hair and nails done.
I’m 67 and feel it is too late to start over. My psychologist can’t understand why I don’t leave. We aren’t destitute, but we’re not wealthy either. I don’t know which way to turn.
— HATING HIM IN MICHIGAN
DEAR HATING HIM: I find it interesting that as threatened as you feel about your husband’s work relationship with his assistant, his flirtation with the hottie next door and two strangers he tried to impress by paying for their takeout dinners (pies included!), HE is so insecure that he must drive you everywhere you go outside the house.
While you think it may be too late for you to start over, you need to clearly define what starting over means to you. I can think of worse fates than freedom from an insecure, possessive, lying narcissist. You are under the care of a licensed psychotherapist. The logical “way to turn” would be in the direction your therapist is trying to guide you.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: I am concerned about a dear friend who has a diagnosis of mild dementia. She has no family here. Her closest relatives are four hours away, and she has minimal contact with them. She was widowed 40 years ago and hasn’t dated. She always said she had no interest in that. She is deeply involved in our community and has a wide, varied circle of friends.
My concern is that while she has always been active in different events — the arts, music, adult ed classes — she is now VERY interested in men. She has spoken to me about her desire for a sexual relationship. She’s 82. I am at a loss about what to tell her and worried about the consequences if she does find a man willing and able. I feel strongly that her desire is a personality change as a result of dementia. Any advice would be appreciated.
— DIFFERENT NOW IN IOWA
DEAR DIFFERENT: Your friend is well enough that she is active in your community. Talk further with your friend about this. She doesn’t have to worry about a pregnancy, but STDs among seniors have more than doubled in the United States in the last decade. Syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia are all on the rise. Lack of knowledge and low condom use are driving these statistics.
Seniors have a right to a sex life if they wish, but they should be well-informed before starting one. Urge your friend to speak with her gynecologist before starting any intimate relationship.
