online writing courses ucla

Welcome to the Writing Programs website! Meet our amazing faculty, learn about our campus and community outreach programs, and discover how we help students write and communicate better throughout their studies at UCLA and beyond. Whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, an instructor, a student advisor, a donor, or just a writing aficionado — we have the information you need. Please contact us if you can’t locate what you’re looking for — we’ll make sure you find it!

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Meet Briley Lewis, 2022 Recipient of the Maasik Prize for Graduate Writing Instructors

Lewis is a graduate student in Astronomy and Astrophysics and a teaching fellow. She has taught Cluster 70: Evolution of Life and the Universe and a Cluster...

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Coming into college, I was so uncertain about my writing abilities. However, going to the Undergraduate Writing Center for assistance throughout my undergraduate journey, whether it was for my STEM research papers or my humanities-based assignments, always allowed me to put my best foot forward in assignments. Even to this... Read more

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Television Writing

Write up to three spec scripts in either one-hour or half-hour TV formats. This program can be completed online or in the classroom. 

This program is perfect for:

• Aspiring television writers who want a thorough study of craft
• Screenwriters looking to branch out into scripting for television
• Entertainment professionals interested in expanding their television knowledge

What you can learn.

• Develop and write spec scripts
• Get hands-on experience scripting a TV drama
• Write for a TV comedy
• Gain insight from entertainment professionals and Writers Guild of America (WGA) members

Write Sample Scripts for TV

The UCLA Extension Television Writing Certificate program is a focused, results-oriented course of study where enrollees can write up to three television scripts (both specs and pilots), either in the hour drama or half-hour comedy format.

Students can benefit from professional exposure and industry connections, and are eligible for perks such as a full-scale screenplay consultation (page limits apply).

Courses are taught by produced writers and/or experienced entertainment industry professionals, many of whom are Writers Guild of America (WGA) members. 

This certificate program can be completed entirely online, onsite or a combination of the two.

The full certificate curriculum is listed further down on this page.

For those who meet certain requirements, an intermediate or advanced level track is also available.

Required introductory courses may be waived upon departmental approval, however, to earn the certificate, candidates must still complete a minimum of six Writers’ Program courses. Please contact an advisor for more details.

Expect more from your education.

MFA, television writer, playwright, WGA member whose credits include  Drop Dead Diva ,  Shadowhunters,  and Hallmark movies  Road to Christmas  and the  Christmas in Evergreen  series . 

BUILD COMMUNITY

Writers' Program Network of Writers (WP NOW)

Stay immersed in the Writers' Program community. Our optional membership program offers exclusive access to a range of discounts and benefits, including members-only networking, professional development opportunities, and course discounts. 

L earn More

A lot of people in different stages of the industry all came together because they wanted the time and a place to hone their craft.

Click below to view the required and elective courses, if applicable, for this program.

Students must complete an additional 6 units from Television Writing or Feature Film Writing. Browse courses by selecting the links below. Courses in Entertainment Studies are not eligible.

Beginning Television , Intermediate Television , or Advanced Television

Beginning Feature Film , Intermediate Feature Film , or Advanced Feature Film

Special Topics for Film & Television Writers

How to Get Started

Courses in this program are open enrollment, and each course is paid for individually.

Sequential courses should be taken in numerical order, starting from the lowest course number and progressing to higher numbers.

You may take Television Writing courses without committing to the entire program.* However, by establishing candidacy in the program, you will receive many benefits exclusive to our certificate students  such as priority placement on waitlists and access to the UCLA Career Center's job board.

Need assistance? If you have any questions or need advice on course selection, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] .

Benefits exclusive for Writers' Program certificate students:

• Advising : Receive a 30-minute, one-on-one goal-setting consultation with a Writers’ Program advisor. During this consultation, the advisor will customize a certificate program curriculum tailored to your experience, interests, and writing goals.
• Enrollment Advantages : Receive advance notice of upcoming Writers’ Program courses and enroll before the general public each quarter. You also receive preferential placement on wait lists.
• Script Consultation : Get valuable feedback through a 1-on-1 script consultation with a Writers’ Program instructor after completion of coursework (value up to $775) .  Learn more .

Benefits exclusive to all UCLA Extension certificate students:

• Career Resources : Access UCLA Extension’s Career Resources including online career coaching, workshops, networking events, and other resources.  Learn More .
• Handshake Access : Explore thousands of job and internship postings through UCLA Career Center’s online job board. Learn More .
• UCLA Alumni Association Membership : Upon completing your certificate, join the nationwide Bruin family as a member of the UCLA Alumni Association. Learn More .
• Graduation Celebration : Attend the annual UCLA Extension Graduation Ceremony on campus to celebrate your achievements. Learn More .
• UCLA Recreation Facilities : Enjoy access to UCLA Recreation facilities as a student affiliate. Learn More .
• Bruin ID Card : Obtain an affiliate/Guest UCLA Bruin ID Card for additional student-related benefits. Learn More .

How to Apply - Establish Certificate Candidacy

• Click the Apply Now button below
• Login or create a new student account
• Once you are logged into the student portal, you can select “My Applications” from the left side menu at any time to return to your application. Click the yellow “Start” button to proceed.
• On the Certificate Application page, follow the instructions and click save. Then submit your application. 
• Proceed to checkout and pay the nonrefundable candidacy fee to finalize your application. 

Estimated Cost Breakdown

All courses in this program are paid for individually, unless otherwise noted. An application form is required to establish candidacy in this program. From the 'Apply Now' button, complete the online application and pay the application fee if applicable.

Application & Candidacy Fee

Estimated program tuition, estimated program textbook/materials.

*The Application & Candidacy Fee establishes your candidacy in the program for a period of time covering normal progress toward completion and may allow you to access a variety of program benefits.

Internships Available

Approved for International Visa

VA Benefit Eligible

Federal Financial Aid

The U.S. Department of Education requires colleges and universities to disclose certain information for any financial aid eligible program that, “prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation”. This information includes program costs; occupations that the program prepares students to enter; occupational profiles; on time completion rate; and for the most recent award year: the number of students who have completed the program, the number of students who complete the program within the estimated duration, the job placement rate, and the median Title IV and private loan debt incurred by those who complete the program. For gainful employment information for this program, visit our  Financial Aid page.

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Programs Critical Writing: English 110 Series

Ug programs – critical writing: english 110 series, critical writing in the ucla english department: the 110 series courses.

Courses offered in the English Department numbered in the 110 series are expressly intended for students of literature and culture who would like to sharpen their critical writing. The courses serve as workshops for discovering rich literary questions, developing nuanced analyses of complex texts, sustaining arguments, and cultivating an authoritative voice. The English 110 courses thus provide a foundation for success in undergraduate and graduate work and in the professions.

Since 2012, the UCLA English Department has added seven discipline-specific courses for undergraduates to the 110 series, including two new courses approved for the 2018-2019 academic year (English 110C and 110V). All of the English 110 courses qualify as electives for English majors. Certain English 110 courses qualify for credit on the Professional Writing minor.

Descriptions of all 110-series courses can be found below, as well as contact information for Dr. Megan Stephan, the program administrator and Faculty Coordinator for Writing in the English Majors. Whether you are an existing or prospective student in the department, you will find that these courses can help you to polish your critical thinking and writing and to enhance your analytical and argumentative skills. English Department graduate students who are interested in teaching 110-series courses should feel free to familiarize themselves with our philosophy and our approach to writing pedagogy. Other faculty both within and outside UCLA may find these courses and their rationales useful for the development of similar programs; administrators will appreciate the ways in which courses like the 110 series enhance and expand teaching of the humanities in both scholarly and practical ways.

English 110A. Writing in the English Major: Analytical (5). The primary objective of this class is to help upper division students further their abilities writing literary and cultural analyses. Writing is a process: good writing (which means good argumentation) is the result of creation, revision, pondering, cutting, and seeking reactions.  English 110A provides a forum for refining these arts and skills. The course is open to all English majors, but it may not be taken for credit by students who have completed English 110T.

English 110B. Writing in the English Major: Adjunct (2).  This course is unusual because it is linked to a “base” literature course.  It brings together students enrolled in American Literature and Culture or English courses in a workshop setting to advance their writing skills, especially the art of developing literary critical argument.  In order to enroll in a 110B course, students must be enrolled in a corresponding “base” literature course.  Although it is linked to a lecture course, 110B is an independent 2-hour critical writing course.

English 110C: Public Readers, Public Writers (5) This course broadens students’ concept of what it means to write about literature by exploring the what, why, and how of traditional literary criticism for a general (rather than for a specifically academic) 21 st -century audience, using both the critical culture of the past and an in-depth exploration of the rapidly expanding and changing realm of cultural criticism made possible by the Internet. The course includes extensive opportunities for critical writing in a variety of forms and for a variety of audiences, as well as building research skills for a variety of applications, including a culminating portfolio project.

  English 110E. Writing in the English Major: Advanced Essay (5).  This course is a weekly seminar/workshop addressing advanced analytical writing about literature and culture.  It offers students the opportunity to explore and expand their skills at various kinds of complex critical thought.  In order to enroll, prospective students must submit a sample of their writing to the professor to ensure they are prepared; enrollment is by permission only.

English 110P. Writing in the English Major: Pre-professional Portfolio (5).   This course invites students to assess their work in the English major and to anticipate and develop the kinds of writing pertinent to their transition into their professional lives.  Students reflect on and review, in writing, selected materials they’ve completed in previous English courses, and they develop new documents (letters, resumes, etc.), projects, and writing samples relevant to their success in a variety of professions including postgraduate study.  The course culminates in a portfolio of each student’s work.

  English 110T. Writing in the English Major: Transfer Students (5).  Like English 110A, the primary objective of English 110T is to help upper division students further their abilities writing literary and cultural analyses.  It provides a forum for refining these argumentative arts and skills. But 110T is also specifically designed to support the transition of transfer students into the English major at UCLA.  Enrollment is restricted to transfer students only. Students should contact Janel Munguia ( [email protected] ) of the English Department Undergraduate Counseling office to verify their status as transfer students in order to enroll.  (Students who have completed English 110A may not take English 110T for credit.)

English 110V: Variable Topics in Professional Writing (5) This course offers the opportunity for English Department faculty to design their own contributions to the new Professional Writing minor according to their special fields of interest and expertise, thereby taking advantage of the breadth and depth of experience and scholarship that we have to offer in a new writing-specific context. The course includes extensive opportunities for critical writing in a variety of forms and for a variety of audiences, as well as building research skills for a variety of applications, including (but not limited to) a culminating portfolio project.

For specific requisites for enrolling in the English 110 courses, please refer to the UCLA catalogue descriptions.

If you’d like to talk more about the English Department’s critical writing offerings, feel free to contact Dr. Megan Stephan, Faculty Coordinator for Writing in the English Majors (Kaplan 232; [email protected]).

• Screenwriting Online

IN THIS SECTION

The Professional Program in Screenwriting is UCLA's only graduate-level non-degree screenwriting program that has oversight by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Learn from renowned UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television MFA Screenwriting Program faculty and receive:

• A world-class screenwriting education in three quarters
• An intimate classroom environment with a maximum of 10 students per workshop
• Guidance from initial story concept through navigating the industry

Upon successful completion of the program, students receive a certificate from the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television.

Deadline Dates

Application deadline: August 19, 2024

Tuition:  $6,750

The Professional Program in Screenwriting Online takes place over three academic quarters. Students view a weekly lecture series, attend a weekly live zoom Q&A series, and attend an online screenwriting workshop each week.

2024-2025 Schedule

The lecture series.

The Recorded Lecture Series - is taught by UCLA instructors and covers every aspect of the process from initial concept though rewrite.

The Live Q&A -   Students will attend a live Q&A session on Zoom  with one of our lecture series instructors on Monday nights at 7pm Pacific Time to ask any questions they may have after viewing the recorded lecture.  Guest speakers from the film industry will visit the Live Q&A to discuss the state of the business and how to approach it as a new writer.

Class and lecture guests have included Meg LeFauve ( Captain Marvel,   Inside Out , The Good Dinosaur ), Billy Ray ( Richard Jewel, Terminator: Dark Fate, Overlord,   The Hunger Games , Captain Phillips, Gemini Man ),  Damon Lindeloff ( Watchmen ,  Tomorrowland , The Leftovers , Lost ), Sacha Gervasi ( The Terminal, My Dinner with Herve, November Criminals, Anvil ), Steven Canals (Writer/Producer/Director Pose), Marissa Matteo (Writer/Producer Bull), Justin Hillian ( Writer/EP The Chi, Snowfall), Felischa Marye ( Writer/Producer Bigger, 13 Reasons Why ), Craig Borten ( The Dallas Buyers Club ), Joe Manganiello (Zach Snyder’s Justice League, True Blood), Ed Solomon ( Men in Black , Now You See Me, Bill and Ted) , Michael Colleary ( Face/Off ), Nancy Oliver ( Lars and the Real Girl, True Blood ), Paul Haggis ( Crash, Quantum of Solace, Walker ), Dan Futterman ( Capote ), Scott Kosar ( The Machinist, The Haunting of Hill House, The Crazies, The Amityville Horror ), Tom O’Connor (Writer/EP The Courier, The Hitman’s Bodyguard,The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife), Joan Wai (Director of Nicholl Fellowhips in Screenwriting), Jeanne Mau (Senior VP, Viacom CBS Global Inclusion), Liz Kelly (Disney, Manager of Creative Talent and Inclusion), Barbara Curry ( The Boy Next Door, Interrogation ), Nicole Riegel ( Holler ), Keith Sharon ( Showtime, Finding Steve McQueen) , Maggie Malone (Frozen II, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Moana, Zootopia, Big Hero 6 ), Kranti Kanade (CRD), and many agents and managers.

The Workshop

The screenwriting workshop meets in an online video conference once per week, and focuses on roundtable readings and an analysis of each student's work.

It is limited to no more than 10 students per class.

Students see and hear each other and their instructor just like they would in an on campus classroom.

In Fall Quarter, students are introduced to the concepts of story and structure. They develop their stories in the weekly workshop and begin writing an original feature-length screenplay.

In Winter Quarter, students complete their first screenplay.

In Spring Quarter, students are assigned to a new workshop instructor and they are guided through the creation and completion of a second original feature-length screenplay.

Date & Time

Mon., Tues., Weds., or Thurs. evening (depending on student schedules) from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Pacific Time.

Apply Online

Applications are now available for the 2024-2025 program.

Acting for the Camera Directing Producing Screenwriting Screenwriting Online Writing for Television Writing for Television Online Writing for Late Night Comedy Advanced Workshops

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Skydance Media

Internship – features/tv development (summer 2024).

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Skydance Media is looking for motivated and enthusiastic Summer interns for our Santa Monica office!

We have multiple open internships that will support both film and television development teams, so our Internship Program offers its own unique learning opportunities. You will have the chance to network and meet with Skydance leaders, learn transferable skills, and gain real-world experience. It is an experience ideal for those moving from classroom to the industry.

This is a ten-week long paid, full-time internship. You must be able to work 9:00 AM-6:00 PM for the duration of this internship program.

Responsibilities

• Read scripts and books and prepare coverage reports for Features and TV departments
• Research and stay current with trending industry topics via online trades, stories, etc.
• Participate in program activities including Pitch Classes and lunches with Skydance leadership
• Periodically screen phone calls for Executives
• Handle confidential correspondence, reports, presentations and other documents

Requirements

• Must be available for 10-week program, Monday, June 10 – Friday, August 19
• Must be available Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Must be available to work on site in Santa Monica Monday – Thursday
• Must be currently enrolled in an Associates, Bachelor or Master’s program at an accredited institution
• Proficiency in MS Office; Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint
• Desire to work in entertainment industry, development a plus
• Self-starter with proficient writing and critical thinking skills, attention to detail, ability to multi-task
• Ability to excel in a high-powered, fast-paced media entertainment environment

Creative Writing

Develop creative writing skills in multiple genres of interest including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and more. This customizable program culminates in a capstone project in which students make significant progress on a polished collection of work. This certificate can be completed online or in the classroom.

This program is perfect for...

• Those new to writing who want to explore various genres while cultivating their skills
• Writers looking to hone their craft and develop a solid portfolio of work in a particular genre
• Writers considering graduate-level writing study, including those who wish to polish pieces for submission to MFA programs
• Individuals who want to become part of a vibrant and supportive community of artists who share their passion

What you can learn.

• Identify your creative writing goals and develop a plan to achieve them
• Deepen your practice within a chosen genre, or explore various forms of creative writing
• Discover techniques of powerful storytelling, craft compelling characters, and write memorable scenes and stories
• Receive guidance from successful writers and workshop in a group of supportive peers

Achieve results and reach your writing goals.

Whether you are new to writing, have a specific project you'd like to get off the ground, or are preparing to apply to an MFA program, the Certificate in Creative Writing is an immersive program for developing professional writing skills.

Our fully customizable certificate honors each individual student’s journey, allowing you to pursue the coursework that is most meaningful to your specific writing goals and level of expertise. 

The program offers the opportunity to specialize in genres like poetry, short stories, novel writing, essay writing, memoir writing, or to explore writing across genres, hybrid genres, and new forms without the limitation of a prescribed curriculum. 

The only required course, the Creative Writing Certificate Capstone , allows you to compile and further refine your writing from prior coursework into a final portfolio representing the finest examples of your craft. 

Taught by a prestigious roster of instructors who are published writers and active professionals, courses in this certificate program can be taken onsite, online, or a combination of both. 

Expect more from your education.

MFA, fiction writer, author of the story collection Once Removed (UGA Press) and winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. 

The Write Process Podcast

Hosted by the director of the Writers' Program, each episode tells the story of how one writer took one project from concept to completion, whether it be a book, movie, or TV episode.

Season 6 is out now!

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE

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My UCLA Extension coursework, teachers, and colleagues have shaped my writing life, fueled the creation of my novel, and provided continual inspiration.

Certificate Curriculum

The Certificate in Creative Writing is fully customizable. You may follow a Writers’ Program sample curriculum plan based on specific writing goals, or design your own program of study.

Students must complete 21 total units comprised of the 3-unit Creative Writing Certificate Capstone course and 18 units of 400-level Creative Writing coursework.

Sample Program Tracks:

Novel I WRITING X 411.1

Novel II WRITING X 411.2

Novel III WRITING X 411.3

Novel IV WRITING X 411.4

Novel V WRITING X 411.5

Dialogue and Point of View WRITING X 462.1

Creative Writing Certificate Capstone WRITING X 460

Personal Essay I WRITING  X 422.1

Personal Essay II WRITING X 422.2

Personal Essay III WRITING X 422.3

Storytelling for Social Justice WRITING X 424.21E

Writing the Thinkpiece WRITING X 424.15E

The Art of Creative Research WRITING X 461.23

Poetry I WRITING X 431.1

Poetry II WRITING X 431.2

Poetry Toolbox WRITING X 432.10E

Prose Poetry WRITING X 432.11E

Reframing the Form WRITING X 432.7E

The "F" Word: Innovative Poetic Forms WRITING X 432.8E

Cuento Poems WRITING X 432.32E

Click below to view the required and elective courses, if applicable, for this program.

Students must complete 18 units of elective coursework. Select from courses numbered WRITING X 400-499 in the following areas:

Students may select courses in the following area with advisor approval:

Editing and Publishing

How to Get Started

Courses in this program are open enrollment, and each course is paid for individually.

Sequential courses should be taken in numerical order, starting from the lowest course number and progressing to higher numbers.

You may take Creative Writing courses without committing to the entire program.* However, by establishing candidacy in the program, you will receive  many benefits exclusive to our certificate students such as priority placement on waitlists and access to the UCLA Career Center's job board. Creative Writing Certificate students can also receive a customized curriculum tailored to your writing goals.

Need assistance? If you have any questions or need advice on course selection, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] .

Benefits exclusive for Writers' Program certificate students:

• Advising : Receive a 30-minute, one-on-one goal-setting consultation with a Writers’ Program advisor. During this consultation, the advisor will customize a certificate program curriculum tailored to your experience, interests, and writing goals.
• Enrollment : Receive advance notice of upcoming Writers’ Program courses and enroll before the general public each quarter. You also receive preferential placement on wait lists.
• Manuscript Consultation : Within six months of completing certificate program coursework, receive 50% off a one-on-one manuscript consultation with a Writers' Program instructor. Learn more .

Advanced standing at Antioch University*

Students who complete the Certificate in Creative Writing can receive Advanced Standing in Antioch University Los Angeles’s MFA in Creative Writing .

Advanced Standing allows a student to enter the MFA program with the equivalent of one semester completed. In addition, you may be eligible for Antioch’s fellowships and scholarships.

Additional benefits exclusive to all UCLA Extension certificate students:

• Career Resources : Access UCLA Extension’s Career Resources including online career coaching, workshops, networking events, and other resources.  Learn More .
• Handshake Access : Explore thousands of job and internship postings through UCLA Career Center’s online job board. Learn More .
• UCLA Alumni Association Membership : Upon completing your certificate, join the nationwide Bruin family as a member of the UCLA Alumni Association. Learn More .
• Graduation Celebration : Attend the annual UCLA Extension Graduation Ceremony on campus to celebrate your achievements. Learn More .
• UCLA Recreation Facilities : Enjoy access to UCLA Recreation facilities as a student affiliate. Learn More .
• Bruin ID Card : Obtain an affiliate/Guest UCLA Bruin ID Card for additional student-related benefits. Learn More .

How to Apply - Establish Certificate Candidacy

• Click the Apply Now button below
• Login or create a new student account
• Once you are logged into the student portal, you can select “My Applications” from the left side menu at any time to return to your application. Click the yellow “Start” button to proceed.
• On the Certificate Application page, follow the instructions and click save. Then submit your application. 
• Proceed to checkout and pay the nonrefundable candidacy fee to finalize your application. 

Estimated Cost Breakdown

All courses in this program are paid for individually, unless otherwise noted. An application form is required to establish candidacy in this program. From the 'Apply Now' button, complete the online application and pay the application fee if applicable.

Application & Candidacy Fee

Estimated program tuition, estimated program textbook/materials.

*The Application & Candidacy Fee establishes your candidacy in the program for a period of time covering normal progress toward completion and may allow you to access a variety of program benefits.

Internships Available

Approved for International Visa

VA Benefit Eligible

Federal Financial Aid

The U.S. Department of Education requires colleges and universities to disclose certain information for any financial aid eligible program that, “prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation”. This information includes program costs; occupations that the program prepares students to enter; occupational profiles; on time completion rate; and for the most recent award year: the number of students who have completed the program, the number of students who complete the program within the estimated duration, the job placement rate, and the median Title IV and private loan debt incurred by those who complete the program. For gainful employment information for this program, visit our  Financial Aid page.

Programs you may also like...

Corporate Education

Learn how we can help your organization meet its professional development goals and corporate training needs.

Donate to UCLA Extension

Support our many efforts to reach communities in need.

Innovation Programs

Student Scholarships

Coding Boot Camp

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UCLA Law’s immigration center scores a big win in federal court for humanitarian parole

Clients of UCLA School of Law’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) earned a big win in federal court earlier this month, when they prevailed in their legal defense to uphold a Biden administration program that gives temporary legal status to certain people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV).

On March 8, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas let the CHNV program continue because Texas and other states that had sued to end the plan do not have standing. Last year, seven people – including a schoolteacher, a doctor and a retiree – joined the United States as defendants in the case , Texas v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security , to preserve the CHNV program, which allows humanitarian parole to thousands of immigrants. They were represented by CILP, the Justice Action Center and RAICES .

Monika Langarica, who is a CILP senior staff attorney, defended the program in court and co-wrote a letter to the editor of The New York Times at the start of the trial, in August 2023, which set forth the issues at stake: “Our clients span the political spectrum; they are Black, white and Latino, with diverse reasons for sponsoring their global neighbors. They are united by one thing: They recognize that communities have as much — or more — to gain by welcoming newcomers as the newcomers themselves.”

During the trial, Langarica delivered the opening argument and examined the only witness in the case. Throughout the case, she and other CILP advocates – including UCLA Law student Joshua Behrens ’24, who worked on the case as a CILP summer fellow – played a lead role in all aspects of the litigation, including trial strategy, brief writing and witness preparation.

“It was an honor to be a part of CILP’s crucial work defending the freedom to welcome, and I am heartened that thousands more Americans will get to reunite with their loved ones because of this ruling,” Behrens says.

After the judge issued his recent ruling, Langarica was again quoted in The New York Times . She said, “Today’s decision is a victory for people who have jumped at the opportunity to sponsor loved ones under this program, and it is a critical repudiation of Texas’s attempt to hold immigration policy hostage for the entire country.”

Watch a video in which Langarica explains the significance of the victory.

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• Immigration Law
• Center for Immigration Law and Policy

Alumna Shiu-Ming Cheer goes above and beyond for immigration justice

Cilp’s ahilan arulanantham, dhs secretary alejandro mayorkas broach child deportations, immigrant representation, temporary protected status and more.

A conversation with pioneering conservationist Kris Tompkins about how to forge an environmental career dedicated to public service

A conversation with Louis Gutierrez, Chief Human Resources Officer at Los Angeles World Airports & Laura Kirrin, Head of Human Resources at Clare V.

The highs, lows and terrible in-betweens of a compulsive sports gambler

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David Leong had a hunch, but that’s how it is for most sports gamblers. Luck is mistaken for skill, and skill, it is believed, can make you a killing.

On a Saturday morning, Sept. 3, 2016, he and a friend flew to Vegas, scored an 8-ball of coke and checked into a suite at Bally’s. Leong had an $18,000 credit, and it was time to make it rain.

“There is no way USC can beat Alabama,” he remembered thinking as he visited two sportsbooks to spread the wager.

Kicked up with adrenaline and nerves, he didn’t touch the coke. A win would double his bet. A loss would … he pushed the thought away and settled in to watch the game.

The Crimson Tide was slow to score, but by halftime, they were up by two touchdowns. Still, Leong didn’t relax. Nothing’s ever a sure thing.

For almost 10 years, he had lived with these feelings: the highs, the lows and the terrible in-betweens of a compulsive sports gambler. And he knew he wasn’t alone.

So earlier this month, he wasn’t surprised when he heard the allegations involving Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, that have rocked the baseball world.

In an interview with ESPN , Mizuhara said he had gotten into debt gambling on sports other than baseball and that Ohtani had helped him out by wiring at least $4.5 million to an Orange County bookmaker. Ohtani said he had no knowledge of the transactions and accused Mizuhara of stealing the money from him .

As Major League Baseball and federal authorities investigate the competing narratives, sports gambling has drawn renewed attention.

Once the domain of casinos, it is now available through gaming apps and self-service kiosks, with credit card companies happy to foot the bill for an industry that’s tailored its approach to a generation seldom off their phones, eager to turn an easy buck and quickly seduced by the sales pitches of onetime athletes like Tom Brady.

Fantasy sports sites like the DraftKings and FanDuel fuel the desire, drawing in solitary gamblers — mostly men in their 20s on their phones — while offshore sportsbooks open a virtual door to live-action games. During this year’s March Madness, the American Gaming Assn. estimates that 68 million Americans will place some kind of wager on the tournament.

“Online gambling has been a game changer,” said Lia Nower, distinguished professor and director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University. “You don’t have to travel or be restricted by when the casino is open. You have your casino, your race track, or your sports book in your pocket on your phone.”

Convenience abets addiction, and while Leong, 31, doesn’t pretend to have special insight into the nature of the disease, he is sharing his story with the hope that it might help break the stigma and isolation.

A clinical social worker with Westside Gambling Treatment , he counsels problem gamblers whose lives he recognizes too well: desperate for cash, struggling with debt, living with depression.

Leong has a degree from Cal State Northridge, but that trip to Vegas — the $18,000 he put on Alabama to beat USC and the aftermath — was his real education.

A few minutes into the third quarter, Alabama escaped a blitz and turned a 17-yard pass into a 71-yard TD. Even though his team was up, Leong still couldn’t relax. He paid for a 15-minute neck and shoulder massage.

“Gambling operates on a variable-ratio reinforcement schedule that is particularly addictive because the payout is unpredictable but can be very large,” said Nower. “The longer you play, the more you become conditioned, and the harder it is to stop.”

Leong never saw himself as having a problem, but then, few gamblers do. All he knew was that he always seemed so close to scoring the money, cars, girls and fame that came so easily to others.

He’d gotten his first taste of betting in 10th grade. Growing up in Tarzana, in a modest single-story home with a pool just down the street from a country club, he loved sports: karate, soccer, baseball, football.

His parents liked going to Las Vegas, and on one trip, his dad asked who he thought would win a basketball game. The Lakers, of course, and his dad made the bet and won. The next day, it was football. Leong liked the Saints. When they won, his dad peeled off $100 for him.

He doesn’t hold his father responsible. He blames his own addictive personality. But when he held that bill, Leong felt his life change. Back at school — William Howard Taft Charter High School in Woodland Hills — he googled an overseas sportsbook, betonline.ag, and opened an account with $50.

Once, this would have been unimaginable. In 1992, Congress passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which, with few exceptions, outlawed sports betting. But in 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the legislation, ruling that sports gambling should be regulated by states.

In California, sports betting has remained illegal despite the “tremendous amount of advertising that makes it seem that all sports betting is legal,” said Timothy Fong, professor of psychiatry at UCLA and co-director of the school’s Gambling Studies Program.

Online gambling is the loophole, and consumers in California can easily access out-of-state and -country sportbooks.

Experts like Fong consider online gambling a public health issue of growing concern that has brought “unnecessary pain and suffering ... to the lives of millions of people across the nation.”

Furthermore, Nower said, the industry has grown without federal regulation that might have required prevention or education programs such as those that exist for substance use.

“And gambling is every bit as addictive as substances,” she added.

Leong remembers placing his first bet on an NBA game and constantly checking the score during an afternoon football practice. He can’t remember whether he won or lost, but that doesn’t matter. Gambling gave him an edge.

The son of a Chinese father and a white Jewish mother, Leong had struggled in middle school with his identity, feeling on the outside of popular social cliques. Playing high school football — quarterback for the Toreadors — opened a few doors, but he never felt at ease.

Now, he had $1,000, right there on his phone, while many of his friends didn’t want to spend $6 on lunch.

But he always needed more.

Unable to get credit as a minor, he got a job as a sign twirler, standing at Renaldi Street and Reseda Boulevard, spinning the giant arrow for condos in Porter Ranch. More often, he and his buddies would hide in the bushes, smoke weed and watch Netflix. He liked the feeling of not working and still getting paid.

His salary went to his pot habit and gambling, and when he ran short, he did whatever was needed, like boosting a necklace from Macy’s.

“I wasn’t ashamed,” he said. “This is what us 16-year-old guys did. We did everything we could to get money.”

His hero was celebrity poker player Dan Bilzerian , whose Instagram posts were all about hot women, nice cars and expensive mansions. Never mind that Leong drove a Civic. On good days, he imagined himself in a Maserati.

At the end of the third quarter, USC got another field goal, but Alabama won, 52-6.

Leong felt high. Two months shy of his 24th birthday, he had turned 18 grand into 30 grand. He and his friend wondered what bottle service they’d order, what new bet they’d place, and with that, the happiness was gone. Just hours after winning big, Leong felt empty.

He needed to figure out how to stay in the action.

That feeling had defined his life: the constant, restless hunger. He dabbled in cards, but the kick wasn’t the same. It didn’t have the buzz of anticipating and participating, that dopamine hit, that adrenaline rush.

And nothing came close to the thrill of in-game betting, putting money on the next layup, pass or serve just seconds away from it happening.

“You’re playing for that juice,” said Nower. “This is what makes sports gambling different than, say, video poker or slots, which help if you’re depressed and want to disassociate. Sports betting is a more action-oriented form of gambling.”

Because Leong followed sports, he saw himself no different than a businessman who plays the stock market.

He will never forget the time he won big: a parlay wager — $50 on eight teams — he made at home with 5dimescasino.com. When it ended with the 49ers hitting a field goal at the end of the fourth quarter, he cleared $8,000. He couldn’t stop screaming with excitement.

Each win confirmed his skill, and each loss felt alien: It was never his fault, just bad luck or a referee’s bad call.

Out of high school, a student at Pierce and Valley colleges, he began applying for every credit card he could, maxing them out while thinking that with one big win, he’d be OK. Short of that, he learned to work the angles.

Because overseas sportsbooks are not legal in the U.S., the transactions were registered on his bank statement as sports merchandise, which he would dispute and get rescinded.

“A real gambler will do anything to stay in action,” he said.

Living at home with no expenses, making $4,500 a month as a delivery driver, he frequented a payday loan shop in Reseda, borrowing $2,000 with 30% interest. He met his bookie in a parking lot at the corner of Reseda Boulevard and Devonshire Street and passed over an envelope of cash.

That night in Vegas, he tried to celebrate, but he was on the hunt for another game when he heard about the Notre Dame-Texas match-up the next day.

The Longhorns had had two losing seasons and were starting a freshman quarterback. This would be easy, he thought; he doubled down on the Irish, looking to hit $60,000.

If today was good, then tomorrow would be even better.

The kickoff was Sunday afternoon, and by the end of the first quarter, the score was tied. By the end of the second quarter, Texas was up by a touchdown, and by the fourth quarter, Notre Dame had come back but was still behind by a field goal. They were being outplayed. Leong was stunned.

Just when it looked like the game was over, Notre Dame returned a blocked field goal, tied the score and forced two overtimes, only to finally lose, 50-47.

As Leong saw the Texas quarterback sail into the end zone on a six-yard run, he knew it was over. Standing in his hotel suite, the sparkling neon of the Vegas Strip below, he never felt more alone. He had nothing — no money for a flight home, no money to bet, no money for weed — only enough for a Greyhound ticket back to L.A.

Recovery circles, as Leong would later learn, call it “incomprehensible demoralization” — rock bottom.

Still living with his parents, he wanted to change. He knew something was wrong; this wasn’t who he was. He said that he would start attending Gamblers Anonymous, but he didn’t. He just continued to gamble and take drugs.

“Gamblers present well to society,” said Yael Landa, director of the gambling program at Beit T’Shuvah, a treatment center in Culver City , “but if you delve in deep under the surface, you see a master of living a double life.”

Three months later, his mother opened one of his credit card statements and saw the mounting debt. She made it clear: Get help or get out.

Leong placed his final bet on Dec. 17, 2016. In a flourish, he did the last of his coke, and on Jan. 3, 2017, enrolled in an outpatient program at Beit T’Shuvah.

His father paid his bookie $10,000 to settle his account, and Leong declared bankruptcy, absolving himself of $90,000 he owed to various credit card companies.

Over the next year, he began to learn more about himself and how this long downward spiral began. As much as he tried to find that one skeleton in the closet to explain it all, he couldn’t.

“I’ve gotten everything I wanted in my life,” he said. “Great parents. All the opportunities. But it was a perfect storm: me loving sports, wanting to make money and having low self-esteem.”

Today, living in an apartment in Pasadena with his girlfriend, he says that he’s learning how to be happy, which means tolerating discomfort, hard work and the grind of everyday life.

In 2020, having interned at Beit T’Shuvah, he earned a master’s degree in social work. His first jobs were with two homeless agencies as a case manager, and when the opportunity came up to help addicted gamblers, he took it.

He calls it his comeback, and while he still watches sports, he ignores his hunches.

More to Read

Letters to Sports: When it comes to Shohei Ohtani, nobody knows the real story

March 30, 2024

Opinion: Why California should continue to hold the line against sports betting

March 29, 2024

Ohtani says he’s cooperating with investigators. Yasiel Puig offers a cautionary tale

March 28, 2024

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Thomas Curwen is staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, specializing in long-form narratives, and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2008 for feature writing.

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