Sports Betting’s Dark Side: Writer Details Predatory Industry

Atlantic Writer McKay Coppins Details Alarming Year in Sports Gambling

The explosive growth of sports betting in America, once a niche activity, has transformed into an all-consuming facet of modern athletics. As millions prepare to wager billions on events like the NCAA tournament, a year-long experiment by The Atlantic writer McKay Coppins has illuminated the deeply predatory nature of the industry and its potential to trigger a widespread public health crisis.

An Experiment in Addiction

McKay Coppins, a staff writer for The Atlantic and contributor to MSNBC, embarked on a journalistic endeavor to immerse himself in the world of sports gambling. Initially approaching the assignment as a means to explore the rapid expansion of the betting industry into American culture, Coppins was taken aback by how quickly the experience began to dominate his personal life. He described the betting apps as “incredibly addictive” and “incredibly compulsive,” designed to ensnare users in a “hypnotic stupor” of continuous engagement.

I came I’M A WAY REALLY HONESTLY CONVINCED THAT THIS INDUSTRY IS MUCH MORE PREDATORY THAN PEOPLE REALIZE AND WE ARE IN THE MIDST PROBABLY JUST AT THE BEGINNING STAGES OF A PUBLIC HEALTH crisis that we have not yet wrapped our arms around.

The Industry’s Predatory Tactics

Coppins detailed several key observations about the industry’s design, which he found to be inherently predatory. A critical insight is the sportsbooks’ practice of banning users who demonstrate consistent success. “If you are good at it, and I should note that only about 2% of gamblers actually make money gambling, the vast majority end up losing money,” Coppins explained. “But if you are in the group that does make money, the sports books kick you off the platforms, right? So they know what they’re doing.”

Furthermore, the industry employs sophisticated retention strategies. Coppins noted that even brief periods of inactivity are met with incentives designed to lure users back. “They also know that if you go a few days without gambling, they will offer you reload bonuses or no-sweat bets, basically ways to lure you,” he stated.

The Escalating Risk of Addiction

While gambling addiction experts suggest that only a small percentage of gamblers (3-5%) qualify as addicts, Coppins highlighted the alarming implications of the industry’s ubiquity. The widespread availability of online sportsbooks has effectively created tens of millions of new gamblers virtually overnight. This dramatic expansion, Coppins fears, will inevitably lead to a significant surge in gambling addiction in the coming years.

Impact on Sports Fandom and Integrity

The experiment profoundly altered Coppins’ relationship with sports. He recounted an experience during Thanksgiving week when he was unable to use his usual sports betting apps in Florida. To his dismay, he found himself unable to engage with games unless he had a financial stake in them. “I needed to have some action on the game to care about it,” he admitted.

Beyond personal engagement, Coppins observed a disturbing increase in conspiratorial thinking directly linked to gambling. When bets didn’t go his way, he found himself questioning the integrity of the games. “Did the refs have money on it? Did some player or coach have money on it to throw the game?” he wondered. Coppins stressed that this kind of paranoid thinking, which he is not normally prone to, is widespread within the gambling community and poses an “existential risk to professional sports.”

Faith, Gambling, and Personal Conviction

Coppins, a devout member of the Mormon church, which generally prohibits gambling, secured a special dispensation from a Mormon bishop to undertake this reporting project. He shared that he had always been taught that gambling was wrong. For this project, The Atlantic provided him with $10,000 for gambling, a fact he presented to his bishop.

His bishop, while understanding the journalistic premise, expressed significant concern, having witnessed the devastating impact of gambling addiction on many lives. The bishop cautioned Coppins to be careful. Initially, Coppins admits he was somewhat dismissive, viewing the experiment as a purely professional exercise. However, he was profoundly mistaken.

It bled into my personal life pretty dramatically in ways that I write about in the piece. And I think if anything, I’ve come away with the recognition that my church is only one of many, many religious traditions, philosophical traditions over the course of human history that have arrived at the same conclusion which is that gambling is soul rotting.

Looking Ahead

McKay Coppins’ year-long immersion into sports gambling has sounded an alarm about an industry that is rapidly growing and deeply entrenched in American life. His firsthand account reveals sophisticated predatory practices and raises serious concerns about the potential for widespread addiction and the erosion of sports integrity. As the industry continues its expansion, the public health implications and the need for greater awareness and regulation will undoubtedly become more pressing issues.

Source: “More predatory than people realize”: An Atlantic writer details his year of sports gambling (YouTube)