I don’t like to insert myself into stories at AddictionNews, but there is no way for me to adequately tell this story without revealing details about myself. I would not have believed this scenario unless I had seen it with my own eyes.

I provide volunteer tech support at a nearby senior living community. We call it “Tech Tuesday,” and I spend half the day troubleshooting devices for residents. You can’t imagine the number of machines I have had to scrape clean of viruses, reformat, and rebuild, or the amount of time I’ve spent with “customer service” when helping residents switch to low-cost phone plans.

I’ve been doing this for over 10 years now, and I thought I had seen everything. Last week, Comcast replaced every cable box in the facility — more than 100 units — and I knew this would be a Tech Tuesday to remember. I wasn’t surprised when my first appointment was with a new resident having TV trouble.

The problem was simple; most of them are. The HDMI cable was connected improperly. I switched it around and then began showing him how to use the new remote control.

Side Rant: My friend needs three remotes to watch TV. This is because of some feud between TV makers and cable TV companies over who controls the remote control and all the data it is capable of revealing. Every week, I feel sorry for seniors everywhere who continuously struggle with multiple remotes. End side rant.

I explained some of the features that residents find helpful, such as voice control, which was working great with the updated Xfinity box. Ask for a show name, or a station name, or call letters, or anything, and Xfinity does a remarkably good job of understanding and delivering relevant content.

Next, I attempted to show my friend the “Settings” for the TV, and that’s when I saw it. If you press the extremely small “C” button on the Xfinity remote, up pops the Odds Zone, right next to the picture, displaying real-time odds for a wide variety of professional and college sports. Please see the image at the top of this post for the Odds Zone screen, which I snapped off my friend’s TV.

“Are you kidding me?” I exclaimed. “This is going to be a nightmare!” I asked the resident if he gambled on sports, and he said, “Absolutely not.” “Good,” I said, “Stay away from the ‘C’ button.”

As I walked home, I realized that every single resident in the senior retirement community would be given a gambling-enabled Xfinity box by default. What percentage would gamble away their entire life savings without thinking? I contacted the management about getting this feature disabled by default.

The Xfinity Odds Zone provides live odds on live sports, according to the website. “Join the action without ever leaving your couch,” encourages Xfinity. Comcast enables betting through the TV remote with DraftKings, FanDuel, or both.

“Just say ‘View Odds’ into your Voice Remote to bring the competition home,” enthuses Xfinity, helping seniors turn their remote controls into gambling consoles. They suggest variations such as saying “DraftKing Odds” or “FanDuel Odds.”

You can bet on just about any sport in the alphabet: NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, NCAA, and PGA. Of course, you’ll want to get all the sports channels and all the sports news. Comcast has you covered with an Xfinity Sports & News TV add-on subscription currently available for as little as $80/month.

The package page mentions the crossover with Xfinity Odds Zone, enabling “live odds and props from the top sportsbooks… Just say, ‘View Odds’ into your Voice Remote.” No mention whatsoever about gambling addiction, gaming addiction, or reduced cost packages for people on fixed incomes.

The Xfinity Odds Zone page does have information at the bottom, past the visual end of the page. It’s in the smallest print I’ve ever experienced on a computer screen. I made a screen capture, Figure 1, for you to see the difference between the display type and the gambling addiction disclaimer. 

Figure 1: Compare the size of the display type with the gambling addiction disclaimer, below. Source: https://www.xfinity.com/hub/tv-video/odds-zone. Date captured: December 16, 2025.

Here’s the text in case you can’t read it:

GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, 800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD).

21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY). Void in ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply. Terms: draftkings.com/sportsbook. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). 

Odds and lines subject to change.

That is some disclaimer! If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER or go to the National Council on Problem Gambling at ncpgambling.org. The entire disclaimer is confusing, with different states inserting their helplines and a plug for a casino. It ends with a disclaimer, getting Xfinity off the hook for changing odds and lines.

How many senior care facilities are being outfitted with new Xfinity gambling-enabled boxes? What about hospitals, hotel rooms, and apartment complexes? Are they all being set to use Xfinity Odds Zone as a default, currently under the button “C?”

The “C” stands for “Catastrophe.” The idea that a cable TV near-monopoly can convert itself into a sports betting gambling parlour and subject all its subscribers to potential financial ruin is possibly illegal and absolutely immoral. 

We will look into efforts to restrict televised sports betting and report back to you about what people are doing to stop the spread of this menace. Comcast/Xfinity subscribers should be aware that the company is now targeting them for a new revenue stream, a stream based on gambling while watching TV.

Review the settings on your own devices and those of loved ones. If you can’t disable the feature, you can at least warn friends and family members. Notify the management of apartment buildings, senior centers, or shared living facilities where Comcast/Xfinity is the default provider. Perhaps if enough of us complain, they will disable this feature unless the customer turns it on.

Written by Steve O’Keefe. First published December 23, 2025.

Sources:

“Comcast Adds Live Odds From FanDuel Into Xfinity Odds Zone On X1,” Comcast Corporate Press Release, January 16, 2025.

“Xfinity Odds Zone: Live Sports with Live Odds,” Xfinity Discovery Hub, Captured December 16, 2025.

Image Copyright: Steve O’Keefe. Used with permission.