Latest / Collectors MD Features / #14: Gambling & Addiction Aren't Going Away | The Shallow End

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#14: Gambling & Addiction Aren't Going Away | The Shallow End · Collectors MD Features

0:00
Last week I was doom -scrolling hobby Instagram,
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as one does, when I came across a story from
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Alyx Effron, the man behind Collectors MD. You
0:11
might be familiar with Collectors MD. It's the
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organization founded by Alyx to help people in
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the hobby who struggle with gambling addiction
0:20
and addictive behavior. The story Alyx shared
0:24
was flabbergasting. It was so stunning I almost
0:28
didn't believe it was real. It was a marketing
0:31
campaign for Arena Club, the sports card and
0:35
repacking company owned by Brian Lee. Last Arch,
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Lee told Sports Illustrated that Arena Club was
0:44
built on, quote, technology, innovation, and
0:49
transparency. Let's let that final word, transparency,
0:55
hang in the air for a few seconds. One of Arena
1:01
Club's most interesting and marketed products
1:04
are called slab packs. I would describe Arena
1:08
Club slab packs as above -board repacks. Arena
1:13
Club is transparent about what is in the packs.
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Odds, inventory, everything repacks should be.
1:22
And I wish all repackers would be as diligent
1:25
and meticulous in their disclosures as Arena
1:28
Club. Repacks are, in my opinion, also a form
1:34
of unregulated gambling. But if you want to be
1:38
kind, one might call them gambling adjacent.
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When Alyx Effron looks at repacks, he sees organizations
1:45
treating sports cards the way states treat lotteries
1:49
and casinos treat roulette wheels. Last month,
1:53
Arena Club even entered into a formal partnership
1:56
with Yahoo Fantasy Sports. Fantasy sports, for
2:00
many, is another form of gambling. And yes, full
2:03
disclosure, I began playing fantasy sports in
2:06
the 1990s and never stopped. I'm also older than
2:11
21 years old. I'm an adult. Which brings me back
2:16
to the IG story shared by Alyx. Here's a clip.
2:28
Let's open some more Arena Club Slap Packs. First
2:31
up, silver. Here we go, first bag of the day.
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Okay, Michael Maddox, red, white, and blue. Rookie
2:39
card. That's a prison rookie. With Arena Club
2:42
Slap Packs, it's possible to pull gem mints at
2:45
a fraction of their retail price, just like this
2:47
downtown Bijan Robinson. Let's move on to gold.
2:50
Here we go, gold football. Let's go. Oh, oh,
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state's last shot to Jefferson. BSA 10. We got
2:58
a Chase card! That was the best gold pack ever!
3:01
Once your cards are revealed, they'll immediately...
3:04
That is 13 -year -old Big Justice, a child influencer,
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hawking Arena Club slap packs. He and his dad,
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AJ, are two of the most popular and trusted digital
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influencers of kids in the United States today.
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They've done content with the Rizzler. an even
3:25
younger and possibly even more popular child
3:27
influencer earlier this year my kid went to disney
3:30
world for a dance competition and ran into aj
3:33
and big justice they could not have been nicer
3:36
or more engaging and good for them for making
3:39
the most of their fame for however long it lasts
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but here's the problem what marketing specialists
3:46
know and what academic studies support is that
3:51
kids are influenced by other kids. When a kid
3:56
or cartoon character is used to promote a product,
3:59
most of the time is to promote it to other kids.
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It's a deliberate choice. I reached out to Arena
4:06
Club over IG for comment, but did not hear back.
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In fairness to them, it is Thanksgiving week,
4:12
so their social media and marketing teams might
4:14
be on vacation. Here's another clip from the
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Arena Club Big Justice Marketing. partnership
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let's open some Arena Club slab packs first up
4:31
silver let's see what silver's got in store here
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we go silver let's see what we get okay Here
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we are in late 2025 and a well -funded high -profile
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sports car company is using a child to market
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its gambling -adjacent product. It is not illegal.
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Arena Club is not breaking any laws, and neither
5:22
are AJ and Big Justice. It's just icky. It's
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gross. It's disappointing. It says all we need
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to know about Arena Club and its ownership and
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its ultimate motivations. Today's guest on The
5:42
Shallow End. is Alyx Effron. He and Collectors MD
5:47
have grown considerably since we spoke almost
5:50
six months ago. Collectors MD now has official
5:54
mental health and counseling partners that sports
5:57
card collectors can turn to when they need help.
6:00
He hosts weekly online support meetings that
6:03
are similar to Gamblers Anonymous and other support
6:05
groups. I've sat in a couple of times and while
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they're confidential, I can say that the work
6:12
he's doing is inspiring and beyond necessary.
6:16
Addiction and compulsive behavior take many forms
6:19
in the sports card hobby, whether it's the impulsive
6:23
purchasing of singles, addiction to breaks and
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online breaking casinos like Whatnot and Fanatics
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Live, repacks, constant overspending, and other
6:33
pitfalls in the hobby that can affect one's mental
6:35
health. Collectors MD now hosts podcasts about
6:39
sports cards and safe behavior, and it has entered
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into partnerships with some of the hobby's most
6:45
recognizable companies, including Card Ladder
6:48
and Market Movers. And yes, they are direct competitors.
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But as Alyx says, making the hobby a safer place
6:56
isn't about competition. And also, yes, Market
7:01
Movers slash sports card investor does have a
7:04
direct. business relationship with Arena Club.
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But as Alyx also says, you can affect more change
7:11
from within than you can from the outside. Today's
7:16
episode is a bit of a check -in with Alyx and
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Collectors MD. We learn more about their mission
7:21
and how they're gaining awareness in the hobby,
7:24
their efforts to get companies to regulate themselves,
7:27
building community, and more. Toward the end,
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Alyx shares his thoughts on Arena Club. and 13
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-year -old Big Justice. Mostly, I wanted to do
7:40
this episode to remind all of us, to remind the
7:43
entire hobby that just because we talked about
7:45
sports cards and addiction last summer, it doesn't
7:48
mean we can't also talk about it now and tomorrow
7:51
and for as long as people are collecting sports
7:53
cards. Epidemics such as addictive behavior.
7:58
Unhealthy behavior and companies that lure our
8:01
friends and family with casino -like tactics
8:03
don't have short -term fixes. We need to have
8:08
longer attention spans, especially when it comes
8:11
to this. Thanks for listening to The Shallow
8:14
End. I'm Dave. I would Dave Sports Cards on Instagram.
8:18
And if you feel like you or someone you know
8:21
or love is struggling in the sports card hobby,
8:24
A great first step is to visit collectorsmd .com.
8:28
Now, let's get to the conversation with Alyx.
8:35
Really happy now to welcome back into the shallow
8:37
end. He is the force behind Collectors MD. He
8:41
is Alyx. He is the host of The Collector's Compass
8:44
podcast as well. Happy holidays, Alyx. It's nice
8:48
to have you here. Thanks, Dave. Happy holidays
8:50
to you as well. Really appreciate the intro and
8:53
it's great to be back on. You've done such amazing
8:56
work with shining a light on addiction and the
9:00
hobby on companies that use gambling type tactics
9:04
to lure people in, marketing tactics and Whatnot.
9:07
And just since you started Collectors MD, you've
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really driven the conversation. And I'm excited
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to have you back on now to see where things are
9:15
now, what are some of the things you're trying
9:17
to do and what types of... progress or lack of
9:20
progress have you seen in different areas? So
9:22
the floor is yours, and I look forward to hearing
9:24
how things are going. Yeah, well, first of all,
9:27
I really appreciate the sort of part two of this
9:29
conversation. I think we last spoke early in
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the summertime. I can't even keep track anymore
9:36
because we've been having so many amazing conversations
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across the board with folks both in the hobby
9:42
and gambling prevention spaces that have been,
9:45
like you, just incredibly supportive and Getting
9:49
behind everything we're doing and you know, the
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the biggest thing is like we can't we can't solve
9:56
this problem by only reaching a handful of folks
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like we have to reach the masses we have to cast
10:01
a wide net and Spread awareness and educate and
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reach as many people as we humanly can right?
10:08
So I'm really glad that you framed it that way
10:10
because we're Collectors MD is right now feels
10:13
very different from when we last spoke back then
10:17
it was Still really a concept, just finding its
10:20
footing, right? Today, it's an active, evolving
10:23
support system with real structure, real people,
10:26
and real momentum behind it. We're running consistent
10:30
peer support meetings every single week, which
10:32
I really appreciate you attending a few of them.
10:35
We're building out professional referral pathways.
10:38
We're collaborating with recovery organizations
10:40
and mental health providers and having direct
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conversations with... platforms, shops, industry
10:47
leaders. I mentioned some of these organizations
10:49
and coalitions within the gambling prevention
10:51
space, all about responsibility and accountability.
10:55
And the truth is the need hasn't gone away. If
10:58
anything, it's even more visible than it's ever
11:00
been, especially with all of the latest drama
11:03
that's been going on in the hobby lately. And
11:06
so the culture of things like breaking and impulse
11:09
buying and dopamine driven hype. It hasn't slowed
11:13
down. And so neither can the conversation, right?
11:15
So what feels most important right now is that
11:19
we don't let compulsive collecting fade into
11:22
the background just because the market cooled
11:24
or the headlines moved or focused elsewhere.
11:27
This isn't a trend. It's a behavioral issue playing
11:31
out inside a hobby that people really love and
11:35
care about. And so Collectors MD sits right in
11:39
that space. anti -hobby like we always talk about
11:42
but pro -awareness pro -support and pro -sustainability
11:45
so where we're at today is less about you know
11:48
raising awareness and more about building the
11:52
infrastructure and making sure that there's an
11:54
actual place for people to land when they start
11:58
to realize that they need help guidance or you
12:01
know a healthier way forward so that's the phase
12:03
we're in now we're we're growing we're raising
12:07
the awareness But really building that infrastructure
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and making sure that we're partnering with the
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right organizations and creating the right alliances
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so that we can help these wider audiences has
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been the number one priority as of late. When
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you reach out to an organization or a company
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to partner with or to consult, how do you talk
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about what you do and what are some of the responses
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that you hear back from these organizations?
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Yeah, well, it's been a mixed bag in terms of,
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you know, outreach or inbound opportunities and
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it's it's happened very organically right as
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i have more conversations with um uh organizations
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and and card shops and industry leaders about
12:54
what we're doing at Collectors MD other people
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other industry leaders other experts in the space
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are paying attention and they understand the
13:03
demand they understand that this is a completely
13:07
unaccounted for uh space it has been for far
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too long there's been a need for this for years
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and now that somebody is finally doing it in
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the form of a full -fledged movement people want
13:21
to get on board people want to be a part of that
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um that sort of mission and so um the conversations
13:30
have have been incredible i mean Dave, I come
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from the world of advertising and marketing where
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I spent 13 years selling things like, you know,
13:41
digital pixels on a phone screen or print ads
13:44
in a newspaper. Like I wasn't sort of doing anything
13:48
impactful or meaningful that was making a direct
13:53
impact on people's livelihoods. And so with Collectors MD,
13:58
we're helping people, you know, like. wherever
14:02
they are in their journeys, you know? And so
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it's amazing to see this community sort of materialize
14:09
and come together and support one another. And
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I would say like every conversation we have with
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these different organizations, they all want
14:18
to get on board. They all want to support it
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in some capacity, whether that be, you know,
14:23
a co -branded campaign around responsible ripping
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or, layering in our tools and resources into
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their ecosystem. I mean, there's a lot of different
14:38
ways that we can work together, but it seems
14:40
that most, if not all, folks that we're talking
14:44
to want to work with Collectors MD in some capacity,
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which is really amazing. It's humbling, but it's
14:52
powerful. It's something that has been, again,
14:55
needed for far too long. As you've gotten...
15:00
Further along through this process of growing
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Collectors MD and reaching out to people and creating
15:05
support for people and creating accountability
15:06
within the marketplace, what is something that
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you've noticed that has really encouraged you?
15:14
And the other side of that is what is something
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that continues to frustrate you? I think something
15:19
that really encourages me is, again, our community
15:23
coming together and supporting one another. It's
15:27
not just me leading the meetings. It's people
15:31
stepping up and looking out for their peers,
15:34
looking out for other folks who are going through
15:36
the same struggles, right? This is a peer support
15:38
movement. It's not a leader movement. And so
15:41
I've hammered that home from day one. And everybody
15:46
within our weekly meetings, our group chat, our
15:51
Discord, they all support one another. And it's
15:53
such a beautiful thing to watch and be a part
15:56
of. And so that's really encouraging, knowing
15:58
that there are people out there that might be
16:02
struggling, but they also want to help other
16:05
people, right? They want to support their neighbors,
16:08
even if they don't know them, even if they're
16:09
complete strangers. And so you've seen it. We
16:13
have weekly meetings. People share what they're
16:16
going through. And it's not just me providing
16:18
feedback or helping them get through these tough
16:21
times. It's the other folks that are also going
16:24
through these issues. that are stepping up and
16:27
providing really thoughtful and and candid feedback
16:32
and support and and that has that has just been
16:35
um so encouraging and then as far as something
16:39
that i do get frustrated with it's sort of the
16:42
uh a lot of people just don't want to see something
16:46
for what it is they just they look at it surface
16:49
level and that's That's all they care about.
16:53
They judge a book by its cover, so to speak.
16:55
So they see Collectors MD partnering with an organization
16:59
in the hobby that maybe they find polarizing
17:03
or that they don't like or support. And they
17:05
just automatically assume that we're by association,
17:10
you know, we have these malicious intentions
17:14
or we're not really mission -based or we're...
17:19
uh losing credibility things like that that's
17:22
not what it's about it's about reaching these
17:24
wide audiences like i mentioned right like for
17:28
instance if you look at uh the gambling industry
17:31
right there's a reason why you see a 1 -800 gamblers
17:35
or 1 -800 gambler hotline number on every single
17:40
casino or sportsbook ad right it doesn't mean
17:44
1 -800 gambler which by the way is a company
17:46
is an organization It doesn't mean they're endorsing
17:49
gambling behavior. It means they're providing
17:52
a layer of support for the people that might
17:54
need it. And so you can look at Collectors MD
17:57
sort of through the same lens, where when we're
18:00
partnering with breakers and card shops, we're
18:03
not endorsing malicious behavior or irresponsible
18:10
and predatory tactics. And I'm not saying that
18:15
any of the organizations that we partnered with
18:18
sort of do those things but everybody in the
18:21
sports card world if you rip on Whatnot you are
18:24
automatically placed in that bucket right and
18:27
so you're not going to be able to make an impact
18:30
by standing on the outside looking in you have
18:34
to be inside of the conversation making noise
18:37
so that you can help and reach those people that
18:41
actually need the support and many of those people
18:44
are either customers, users, consumers, whatever
18:47
you want to call them to a lot of these organizations
18:49
that we're partnering with. I hope that makes
18:52
sense. It does. Yeah. Yeah. And you've never
18:56
said once, I've never heard you say once that
18:59
you are trying to get rid of the sports card
19:01
hobby. You're not trying to get rid of breaking.
19:03
You're not trying to get rid of people buying
19:05
singles. You're trying to spread awareness of
19:08
certain behaviors that lead to destructive patterns,
19:11
right? Right. That's exactly right. So in these
19:15
meetings that you've talked about, these support
19:16
meetings, I assume there are people who have
19:19
been going for a while now and those who are
19:21
trickling in occasionally for the first time
19:24
or for the second time. Are you seeing any sort
19:26
of patterns in the people who are coming in with
19:30
the types of things that they are talking about
19:31
that they are dealing with themselves? Yeah,
19:34
absolutely. It definitely mirrors a lot of what
19:38
we see in Gamblers Anonymous traditional. you
19:41
know support group meetings where people have
19:44
you know um tendencies whether it be uh addictive
19:49
obsessive and it's having a direct negative impact
19:55
on their not just financial well -being but their
19:59
mental health their emotional well -being it's
20:03
impacting the people around them their family
20:06
members friends colleagues whoever and I would
20:10
say that what we're seeing is the Collectors
20:14
MD program and our recovery guide is providing
20:18
them with a foundation to stay on track, stay
20:21
on course, be held accountable, right? Yeah.
20:26
I mean, I'm not going to, I'm not going to like
20:27
BS you. Like we've had a handful of people come
20:31
and go. We've had some folks that were consistent,
20:33
consistently joining meetings week after week,
20:36
and then suddenly poof, they're gone. And I reach
20:39
out. I want to make sure they're okay, they're
20:41
doing well. And some folks respond, some don't.
20:44
But it's not like a foolproof program where you
20:48
join this group and suddenly you recover from
20:51
addiction. That's not how any recovery group
20:53
works. It's a lifelong commitment. And every
20:56
single day is a step toward recovery. But that
21:02
recovery never ends. You always have to put in
21:05
the work. Again, there are a lot of parallels
21:09
between what we're doing and what type of support
21:14
is offered in these traditional group settings,
21:17
recovery group settings, like GA, like NA, like
21:20
AA. But the difference is we are a full -fledged
21:27
movement. So beyond just the weekly meetings,
21:29
there are multiple touch points. There's the
21:31
group chats. There's the Discord. There's our
21:34
social media presence. The educational content
21:38
we put out, the podcast, the editorial franchises,
21:41
the partnerships, the tools and resources that
21:44
we offer our community members. So it's a full
21:49
-fledged ecosystem. And one other thing that
21:51
I think is really important to bring up is that
21:53
a lot of people have a hard time sort of slowing
21:59
down or walking away from something they've been
22:01
a part of for a long time because they're afraid
22:04
of losing that sense of community. especially
22:07
within the hobby right they feel like if we if
22:10
I walk away and stop collecting or abstain completely
22:14
then I'm no longer gonna be able to interact
22:17
with these people that I've interacted with every
22:19
single day for however long people feel like
22:22
they've made a lot of friends they go to card
22:25
shows they go to different events they link up
22:28
with whoever digitally, virtually, in live streams
22:33
and social media, et cetera, the most important
22:37
thing is that we still offer that sense of community
22:40
and camaraderie. It exists within Collectors MD.
22:43
It's just amongst people who want to help one
22:46
another, who want to hold each other accountable,
22:48
who want to proceed with the hobby or abstain
22:52
completely. Again, we offer two lanes, but do
22:56
so in a mindful... and responsible way. You mentioned
23:02
the partnerships and every now and then through
23:05
your social media feeds, we'll see that you've
23:07
entered into a partnership with a group. What
23:10
are some of the partnerships and how do they
23:11
benefit Collectors MD and the people who Collectors MD
23:14
seeks to help? Yeah, so we have a few different
23:17
buckets of partnerships or I should say different
23:21
types of partnerships. The first is our referral
23:24
network. these are individuals so therapists
23:26
doctors clinicians we just brought in a financial
23:32
advisor individuals who can provide that layered
23:35
support depending on what the you know individual
23:39
is going through we want to be able to again
23:42
meet folks where they are and provide whatever
23:47
service that they might be looking for. And so
23:50
the more folks that we can add to this referral
23:51
network, the better, because it gives people
23:53
more options. Beyond just partnering with folks
23:56
on the individual level, we're also partnering
23:58
with organizations like Birches Health, Right
24:02
Choice Recovery, Better Way of Miami. And so
24:05
these sort of partnerships. with longstanding
24:09
nonprofit organizations or facilities dedicated
24:13
to things like addiction recovery, mental health
24:16
support, community care. It allows us, again,
24:20
to provide our community with layers of support
24:25
wherever they are in their journey and to be
24:29
able to select a group, a facility, an organization.
24:33
based on what they're going through. So for instance,
24:36
Birch's Health offers telehealth support for
24:40
any and everybody dealing with gambling addiction,
24:43
behavioral issues, compulsive collecting, which
24:47
is obviously a layer that they've added. Right
24:51
Choice Recovery is a local facility here in New
24:53
Jersey that offers outpatient and inpatient treatment
24:56
for folks that are dealing with not just gambling
24:59
issues, but substance abuse. And then Better
25:03
Way of Miami, which is our most recent partnership
25:05
within the space, like Right Choice, offers their
25:11
patients things like outpatient programming and
25:17
telehealth and one -on -one therapy sessions,
25:24
things like that. So there are multiple options
25:26
that people can choose from. based on what they're
25:30
going through. And then beyond just the referral
25:32
network, we also are partnering with hobby organizations,
25:36
whether it be break shops, card shops, platforms
25:39
to promote our responsible ripping messaging.
25:43
And so these are mission aligned brands and companies
25:47
that want to get behind what we're doing and
25:50
provide their customers that sense of, hey, we're
25:54
looking out for you. We understand that this
25:57
hobby can be a slippery slope and we want to
25:59
make sure that we're providing you with the tools
26:01
and resources so that if things start to go down
26:05
that dark path, you have a safety net to fall
26:08
back on. So we've partnered with My Card Post,
26:12
which is a relatively new marketplace with. i
26:16
believe they're now at 16 000 users and uh their
26:20
founder Mark Hill was just on The Collector's
26:22
Compass podcast last week we had an amazing conversation
26:25
with him and he's been really supportive and
26:28
so we're doing some some co -branding with them
26:30
uh we partnered with um i mentioned yesterday
26:34
Market Movers so Geoff Wilson's uh platform same
26:38
thing with Card Ladder obviously Market Movers
26:40
and Card Ladder are direct competitors they offer
26:42
very similar services but it's not about competition
26:46
It's about making sure that we're offering as
26:48
many tools and resources that people can leverage
26:52
as part of their collecting journeys. And so
26:55
Chris HOJ, who is the co -founder of Card Ladder,
26:59
also is on The Collector's Compass. He's been
27:02
on two episodes now and he's fantastic and has
27:04
been incredibly supportive. And we have many
27:07
more rolling out. Oh, I didn't even mention Gamban.
27:11
So that's... app locking software that people
27:14
can download on their phone which uh allows you
27:17
to basically prevent yourself from going into
27:19
apps like Whatnot Fanatics eBay they originally
27:23
just offered the traditional gambling apps like
27:26
drafting's vandal you know those types of those
27:30
types of apps but they've seen they've recognized
27:33
they've acknowledged that uh break culture has
27:37
become synonymous with gambling and so They've
27:41
added these hobby -related platforms as well.
27:44
So if anybody is struggling with addiction and
27:46
feels like they can't find a way out or they
27:49
need to protect themselves, they can download
27:51
Gamban, get that software on their phone, and
27:54
sort of add that safeguard, add that layer of
27:57
protection where they won't be able to access
27:59
Whatnot in Fanatics at 2 a .m. when they're tossing
28:03
and turning and they feel that devil on their
28:05
shoulder trying to rip the wheel away from their
28:07
conscious. Again, we're continuing to partner
28:12
with organizations, like -minded organizations
28:14
across each of these verticals. We have half
28:19
a dozen rolling out in the next couple of weeks.
28:20
So be on the lookout for that. But we're doing
28:24
some really, really amazing things. And we're
28:26
really, really grateful for all of the support
28:27
we've received to date. I just have one more
28:30
question about the partnerships. Then I want
28:32
to jump topics a little bit. The ones that are
28:36
the partnerships that are about. helping people,
28:38
the sessions, the app locking, I get those. The
28:43
ones that you have, the partnerships that Collectors MD
28:45
has with My Card Post, with Card Ladder, with Market Movers,
28:48
what do those partnerships look like? And what
28:52
are you hoping that those larger organizations
28:55
do? And in terms of, well, I don't even want
29:00
to put an answer in your mouth. What are you
29:02
hoping to gain out of those types of partnerships?
29:04
Yeah, so the... Market Movers Partnership is
29:08
actually an extension of another partnership
29:11
we're building with Geoff Wilson's, one of his
29:13
other entities, CardsHQ, which is his main card
29:16
shop in Atlanta. And they've become one of the
29:19
biggest hobby shops in the entire country. And
29:21
so it all centers around what we call the Rip
29:24
Responsibly campaign. And so the big picture.
29:27
The Rip Responsibly mission is to normalize responsible,
29:31
intentional ripping in live breaks and personal
29:33
collecting, and to give collectors visual reminders
29:36
and language around limits, boundaries, and support
29:39
right where the behavior is happening, whether
29:41
it be on the desk, in the break, on screen. And
29:44
so the specific goal is to create co -branded
29:48
stands, break mats, desk accessories that carry
29:52
the hashtag Rip Responsibly message or mantra.
29:56
And so we layer in this messaging and subtle
30:00
prompts about intention and mindful spending
30:02
and support all within the ecosystem. Am I able
30:06
to share my screen? Because this actually just
30:09
went live today. So this is what the - Real quick,
30:12
if you're listening to this podcast, and this
30:15
will be on YouTube, but also on audio. If you're
30:17
listening right now, Alyx has just pulled up
30:19
some of these branded types of materials. as
30:25
part of the RIP responsibly campaign. So that's
30:29
what we're looking at right now. Yeah. So we
30:32
have like card stands, we have backdrops, we
30:34
have card mats. And the idea here, again, is
30:37
to subtly layer in the RIP responsibly messaging
30:40
so that people see it and they go, oh, what's
30:43
that? That's interesting, right? What's Collectors
30:45
MD? And Geoff has this recurring video that rolls
30:50
through their live breaks. I guess his plan is
30:54
to do it between every break. And it serves as
30:58
that disclaimer that gambling brands or gambling
31:03
companies and alcohol brands do. It's a part
31:06
of their corporate responsibility because of
31:09
the gaming commission and other rules and regulations
31:12
that require them to layer in this messaging.
31:15
Rather than following a law, so to speak, our
31:19
partners are... being proactive in acknowledging
31:23
that there's a real problem here. And we want
31:25
to offer that layer of support for our customers.
31:28
You can also purchase just Collectors MD branded
31:32
merchandise here as well. The card mat, the backdrop,
31:36
the card stand. If you want to just support the
31:39
movement and continue to get the word out. This
31:41
isn't about like making money or profiting or
31:45
anything like that. This is just about continued
31:47
spread awareness and making sure that the rip
31:52
responsibly mantra, the collect with intention,
31:55
not compulsion tagline that we use is in front
31:58
of as many people as possible. So we're partnering
32:02
with Chronic Cards on this. They've been incredibly
32:06
helpful and supportive. And there's going to
32:09
be more things rolling out like stickers. And
32:11
we're also working with Stand Up Displays, which
32:14
is actually an entity of Geoff Wilson's as well,
32:17
to sort of have alternate stands. But that really
32:22
is the theme behind the Rip Responsibly campaigns
32:26
that we're rolling out with these different card
32:28
shops and break groups. But with Card Ladder
32:32
and Market Movers and My Card Post, it's really
32:35
more so just about layering in subtle messaging.
32:39
Because those companies don't run breaks or sell
32:43
product per se, but they still want to be able
32:45
to... provide their customers, their user base
32:49
with that extra layer of support. We endorse
32:54
responsible ripping. We endorse responsible collecting.
32:58
If you have a problem, here's where to go. And
33:00
then vice versa. Collectors MD is offering these
33:03
tools and resources to our intentional collecting
33:07
vertical so that those individuals can continue
33:12
their hobbies, but in a more responsible and
33:15
mindful way. The other day, I think it was a
33:20
repack company. They had an ad that was running
33:23
on social with the father and son influencer
33:27
team of AJ and Big Justice. And I think it was
33:31
repacking in which a kid is opening repacks and
33:37
getting excited for it. The dad's saying, what'd
33:38
you get? What did you get? Since Collectors MD
33:42
has gotten moving, I think as the word spreads,
33:45
people understand that. Breaking is just basically
33:47
an online casino. But repacks have really gained
33:51
momentum. And this has been one of the things
33:55
that you have tried to talk about as well. I
33:58
saw that post because you shared it. As someone
34:02
who worked in marketing the way that you did,
34:06
what was your reaction when you saw the company
34:09
using a kid to market repacks? it's completely
34:14
irresponsible. It's exploitative. It's predatory.
34:18
I mean, these are the things that come to mind.
34:20
I mean, one thing that's become, it's something
34:23
that's become absolutely impossible to ignore,
34:26
right? It's this direction that some parts of
34:30
the industry, unfortunately, are heading, especially
34:33
around the repack products and how they're marketed.
34:35
You know, the way they advertise with using a
34:40
child to promote something. that is quite literally
34:45
gambling or sending a message saying, we missed
34:48
you, come back, trying to reel us back in if
34:53
we've stepped away. When you look at platforms
34:56
like Arena Club, we're talking about Arena Club
34:58
here. Is it okay that I mentioned them? 100%.
35:01
Okay. And like this broader sort of repack ecosystem,
35:06
what raises concern isn't just the product itself,
35:09
right? It's the language. and psychology that's
35:12
surrounding it we're seeing this messaging that
35:15
feels eerily similar to gambling promotion you
35:18
know chase the the monster hit like life -changing
35:21
polls don't miss your shot come back we miss
35:24
you like it's designed to trigger urgency uh
35:28
fantasy and dopamine and what's even more troubling
35:32
is how often this is packaged in a way that clearly
35:35
appeals to these younger audiences the young
35:37
collectors You have the flashy visuals, you have
35:41
the hype -driven influencers, kids we're talking
35:44
about, and content that really just blurs the
35:46
line between hobby, fun, and high -risk behavior.
35:50
So the issue isn't about whether someone likes
35:54
or agrees with the concept of a repack, which
35:57
is gambling, but that's a separate conversation.
36:00
The issue is when the marketing specifically
36:03
leans into manipulation instead of honesty and
36:07
transparency. when the like the odds aren't clear
36:10
the risks aren't explained the emotional hooks
36:13
are doing more work than you know the actual
36:16
value that's where it becomes predatory especially
36:19
when miners or emotionally vulnerable collectors
36:22
are watching and absorbing this as normal behavior
36:25
they're being conditioned right and so that's
36:29
what we're we're trying to keep like press and
36:32
make sure people are educated and understand
36:34
this because if we don't name this stuff if we
36:37
don't call it out right the next generation of
36:40
collectors are going to end up growing up thinking
36:43
this is just how the hobby works this is just
36:46
what collecting looks like now it's all about
36:47
chasing and overspending and emotional whiplash
36:50
and that's that's just a part of the fun so again
36:54
Dave like our goal isn't to cancel the hobby
36:56
it's to protect it to bring back things like
36:59
intention to create spaces where Excitement doesn't
37:03
come at the cost of mental health or financial
37:05
harm, especially for these young, impressionable
37:09
kids who don't have the tools or the wherewithal
37:12
to recognize the manipulation that's happening
37:16
in plain sight right in front of them. That's
37:19
the conversation that we're committed to keeping
37:23
alive because we want a safer, healthier, and
37:27
more sustainable future for the hobby. And that
37:31
conversation is everything. It's when the conversation
37:33
stops that the sort of the darkness continues
37:36
to creep in. So I've enjoyed talking with you
37:40
today. Thank you and continued good work with
37:42
what you're doing with Collectors MD. I look forward
37:45
to talking with you again another few months
37:47
down the line just to see what new developments
37:49
are happening, other new partnerships and ways
37:50
that you can continue to help people and people
37:54
can help themselves and help their fellow collectors.
37:56
Before we go, though, just talk about where people
37:59
can, find you where people can find Collectors MD
38:02
and maybe if they want to jump on a meeting,
38:06
how they can do that. Absolutely. So we have
38:08
a few different outlets. We're on pretty much
38:11
all social media. So Instagram, Facebook, X,
38:13
YouTube, TikTok, Threads, Discord, Reddit, LinkedIn,
38:19
you name it. Like we are syndicating our content
38:21
wherever people are consuming content. We also
38:27
have three podcasts, so The Collector's Compass,
38:29
Behind The Breaks, and Collectors MD Features.
38:32
This episode will be syndicated as part of Collectors
38:36
MD Features. We want to make sure that people
38:38
can hear and consume any and all content that
38:41
is being put out there, whether we're hosting
38:44
it or one of our partners. supporters is hosting.
38:48
You can watch or listen to those videos, those
38:51
podcasts on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Amazon,
38:55
pretty much any major streaming platform. If
38:58
you want to check out our tools, resources, editorial
39:01
content, you can go to collectorsmd .com. And
39:04
then from there, you can also sign up for our
39:06
weekly meetings. There's a dropdown menu under
39:10
resources. first tab, weekly meetings, or you
39:13
can click on sign up for our weekly peer support
39:15
meetings. It takes you to a very straightforward
39:18
Google form. You answer a few questions and we
39:22
can get you added to the calendar invite. And
39:25
those meetings are every Wednesday night at 8
39:27
p .m. Eastern. We're obviously skipping this
39:30
week because of Thanksgiving, but we also have
39:33
a second meeting on Thursdays at 7 p .m. Eastern.
39:36
that is in partnership with The Problem Gambling
39:38
Coalition Of Colorado those meetings are called
39:41
Unboxed Powered by Collectors MD and uh if you'd
39:45
like to learn more about those you can email
39:47
info collectorsmd .com or just shoot me a dm
39:51
on instagram and i'll get back to you so uh there's
39:54
a lot more but i try to keep it as as uh contained
39:57
as possible um but Dave thank you so much for
40:01
your ongoing support you've been an incredible
40:04
ambassador and just uh really great friend as
40:08
I continue to navigate this journey. It is not
40:12
a one man show. It's not a one man mission. And
40:15
so any and all support that we can get from the
40:18
community is so incredibly appreciated. So I
40:21
just wanted to thank you again for all that you
40:23
do as well. Alyx Effron, Collectors MD, happy
40:27
holidays and thanks for being on. Take care.