Freakonomics Radio

Snapshot · Freakonomics Radio

677. Can Backgammon Save Us from Ourselves?

Explore episode Jun 12, 2026

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Backgammon Galaxy and the Economics of the Game

At 31:00 · chapter starts 29:35

Mark Olsson co-founded Backgammon Galaxy in 2018 with Sandro Lilov and Mochi, initially imagining it as a money-gaming site built on their sports-betting background. That business model ran into regulatory walls, but their YouTube channel took off, becoming the biggest backgammon channel on the platform. They pivoted to social gaming, raised funding, and officially launched in 2022 — the platform now has 220,000 users, 25 employees, and ownership of the World Championship in Monte Carlo. Beyond the business narrative, Olsson makes a compelling intellectual case for backgammon as an economics simulator: unlike economic models that begin 'all else being equal,' backgammon never holds anything constant. Change one variable — split a back checker, say — and every other variable in the position shifts. This entanglement of trade-offs, Olsson argues, makes the game a genuine training ground for opportunity cost awareness, sunk-cost discipline, and probabilistic decision-making under complete-information-but-uncertain-future conditions.

Education
Gambling as Virtue, Not Vice

677. Can Backgammon Save Us from Ourselves? · Jun 12, 2026 Education

There's a crucial difference between roulette — where you have no control — and backgammon or sports betting, where hard work and analysis can generate a real edge. Mark Olsson argues that skill-based gambling hardens your character, punishes recklessness instantly, and rewards preparation.

1m 40s

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