Customer infuriated by bizarre message hidden inside food order: 'Such a shame'

Most of the time, fortune cookies are a fun novelty that can provide a tasty treat and some helpful or hopeful words to brighten your day.

Other times, they can be an ad for a gambling website that pushes people to bet and lose their entire life savings.

A user on the subreddit r/mildyinteresting shared a post of their fortune cookie with a message that is literally an ad for Stake, a gambling website hosting various casino-based games.

"Such a letdown." — Photo Credit: Reddit

Capitalism's relentless advertising already encourages the excessive purchase and consumption of goods, driving up waste and pollution in the process.

But this is a different beast, as gambling is a known addiction, per the Mayo Clinic, that only leads people who start to never want to stop. Current data from QuitGamble estimates that Americans lost around $264 billion by gambling alone in 2023.

"I've been seeing more fortune cookies with ads in them. Such a shame. Such a let down," a user on the original post commented.

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Unfortunately, this isn't the first time someone has found a Stake ad in their fortune cookie in 2025. A Reddit user on the xQcow subreddit also found one earlier this month.

The casual uptick in these ads suggests that even small businesses are beginning to normalize it, likely due to the 2018 Supreme Court decision to legalize sports gambling in the United States, which means the practice poses little to no legal risk.

Normalizing advertising inundation in general will not only lead to more people suffering the consequences of gambling addiction but also worsen the climate by leading to the overproduction of goods that ultimately fill landfills.

One way to avoid these products and have a positive impact on people's health is to research the company you are buying from first to ensure it is eco-friendly.