Joe Rogan once drew a comparison between drug addiction and gambling addiction, emphasizing that both can be equally destructive, though they manifest differently. He noted that when people see a drug addict visibly suffering, shooting up, or fainting, they naturally feel pity, recognizing the obvious physical harm (via YouTube):
It’s like if you see the drug addict, you see him, he’s shooting up or whatever it is, and you see him fainting, you go, ‘Ah, that poor b*stard.
Rogan, who has promoted DraftKings as a sponsor on his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, highlighted that gamblers often do not understand why they feel compelled to continue, much like a person addicted to drugs.
But when you see a guy who’s fully in the grips of gambling, trying to figure out how to make get his money back, and he’s all jazzed up with adrenaline. He doesn’t understand why.
By likening gambling to cocaine, opioids, or other forms of drug abuse, Rogan underscored that the compulsive nature and harmful consequences of gambling are very real, even if society doesn’t always see or acknowledge them.
It’s just like cocaine. It’s just like a drug abuse. It’s just like the opiate problem. It’s just like anything else.
The JRE host often addresses topics that resonate with real-life struggles, and gambling is no exception.
Real Reason Joe Rogan Connects With Adam Sandler’s Gambling Movie
In July 2025, Joe Rogan welcomed country singer Charley Crockett to his podcast, bonding over horror films and an unexpected cinematic turn: Adam Sandler’s Uncut Gems. Despite Crockett’s avoidance of intense films like The Substance, the Sandler movie resonated with Rogan personally. Rogan revealed (The Sports Rush):
Well, I grew up with a lot of gambling addicts. So that movie really hit home for me. I was like, ‘Oh god, jeez, the anxiety.
The 2019 film portrays Howard Ratner, a New York jeweler with a severe gambling addiction. Rogan praised Sandler’s dramatic performance, noting:
He’s great in that movie too. I never knew that he could act dramatically. He’s always been great in comedies, but he’s incredible in that movie. But Uncut Gems, the gambling aspect of it, that sickness. The gambling sickness is a wild sickness… For some people, that’s their juice, man. That’s what keeps them going in life.
Rogan drew parallels between the film and his own early 20s in New York, surrounded by pool halls and betting culture. “The only way it’s fun is if money’s constantly flowing,” he recalled.
Dana White’s Gambling Struggle Left Joe Rogan Baffled
In November 2024, Joe Rogan spoke candidly about UFC CEO Dana White’s gambling habits, leaving many listeners stunned.
My good friend Dana White is a gambling addict… He goes hard… We went visit to him at Red Rocks… When we got there he was $600,000 down, playing Blackjack, but at the end of the night he stayed till like 6 in the morning he was $600,000 up… It’s a real drug and it’s a really weird one…
Their long-standing friendship has endured through professional collaborations, political discussions, and shared controversies. Rogan also revealed how White leveraged their relationship to bring Donald Trump onto the podcast in 2017:
Dana White made the (Donald) Trump thing happen, for sure. He was trying to get me to have Trump on in like 2017. He would call me up, ‘Joe, listen, the president wants to do your podcast’…
Gambling, for Rogan, isn’t just entertainment; it’s a pulse point for understanding human behavior, addiction, and societal pressures. The discussion raises a pressing question: Can awareness through popular media help mitigate problem gambling? Comment below and weigh in!
