McKay Coppins is an award-winning Atlantic journalist and New York Times bestselling author of Romney: A Reckoning. After gaining access to Mitt Romney’s private journals, he turned to America’s sports betting boom. The Atlantic gave him $10,000 to gamble through an NFL season. He knew the risks. Within weeks, he was hiding bets from his children and checking DraftKings at church.
In this episode of Divot with Derek Andersen, McKay reveals how investigating gambling became a test of his own self-control. He explains how betting apps keep customers coming back, why sportsbooks can limit consistent winners, and how he convinced himself he could beat the odds. They explore prediction markets, teenage gambling, and what happens when watching sports becomes a reason to keep betting.
The conversation also goes inside Washington, where McKay describes how protecting a position can replace the desire to serve. He shares what Romney’s journals revealed about private doubts, why he left Newsweek for BuzzFeed, and the advice that changed his career: choose the interesting job over the impressive one. His final measure of success comes from the people who know him best, his wife and children.
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Timestamps:
02:50 — How Political Power Changes People’s Priorities
14:07 — Inside Mitt Romney’s Private Journals
22:59 — How Sports Betting Became a Casino in Your Pocket
26:40 — The App Features That Keep Bettors Coming Back
29:37 — Why Sports Leagues Embraced Gambling
36:30 — Prediction Markets: What Happens When Everything Is a Bet?
42:26 — What Parents May Be Missing About Teenage Gambling
44:10 — The Atlantic’s $10,000 Sports Betting Experiment
46:34 — He Knew the Risks—and Still Got Hooked
48:53 — Why Sportsbooks Can Limit Consistent Winners
54:50 — Choosing Meaningful Work Over an Impressive Job
1:04:39 — The Measure of Success His Résumé Can’t Capture
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Hashtags:
#SportsBetting #McKayCoppins #GamblingAddiction #TheAtlantic #DraftKings #FanDuel #PredictionMarkets #MittRomney #Psychology #SelfControl #Journalism #CareerAdvice #DerekAndersen #DivotPodcast
