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When Sports Betting Sucks You In
20 August 2026

When Sports Betting Sucks You In

Embodied

About

More than half of American men between the ages of 18 and 49 have an active online sports betting account, and for the past year Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins was one of them. But what started as a reporting assignment quickly spiraled into something else. Anita talks to him about how sports betting pulls you in, even when you think you’re immune. Plus, how the rise of sports betting culture is fundamentally changing sports and fandom. 

Meet the guest:

- McKay Coppins is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of “Sucker: My Year as a Degenerate Gambler.

Special thanks to Rob Minnick for his contributions to this episode!

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