When Atlantic writer McKay Coppins was offered the opportunity to spend an NFL season exploring sports betting by wagering on the games’ outcomes and writing about it, he shrugged off a trusted advisor’s simple warning: “Be careful.”
By the time the season was over, a frazzled Coppins had lost more than $9,000 of the $10,000 the Atlantic had advanced him for the project. Coppins writes, “When I’d started this project, I had presented it to my bishop as journalism; at some point it had veered into obsession.”
He joins host Robin Young to talk about”Sucker: My Year As A Degenerate Sports Gambler,” a deep dive into what he learned about the industry, its powerful grip on the nation, and the allure of having a “casino in your pocket.”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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