If you were an ethical editor at a respectable news organization, seeking a first-person perspective on the rapid rise of sports betting apps, you would not choose a reporter with a gambling problem.

You'd want somebody who could try out this addictive technology, write a clear-eyed account,

and at the end of the reporting project, walk away unchanged. If you work at the Atlantic,

there's a good chance you to sign McKay Coppins. From KERA in Dallas, this is Think. I'm Chris Boyd. Coppins is an award-winning journalist and

author. He's been a guest on this show several times to talk about geopolitics, journalism,

the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Coppins happens to be a

practicing member. That is germane to this story, because as you may know, Mormons commit to living

a morally rigorous lifestyle, no alcohol or drugs, no premarital sex or pornography, and no gambling.

Coppins checked in with his bishop and set up some particular ground rules to ensure the assignment

didn't violate LDS rules, but he felt confident it would be okay because

he just doesn't have an addictive personality. And that is where the story gets interesting.

McKay Coppins is a staff writer at The Atlantic, which published his article My Year as a

degenerate gambler. McKay, welcome back to think. Thanks for having me. So I gather you had not really

gambled at all before this reporting assignment. And not only because it's against your

religion, you just thought, what a waste of time. Yeah, I was never interested in the broad

spectrum of things that I don't do for religious reasons. Gambling was not really an especially

tempting one. I didn't see the appeal. I'd actually spent a decent amount of time as a political

reporter in Las Vegas because Nevada is an important primary state and would often stay on the

Las Vegas strip and hotels and kind of walk through the casino floor

and sort of like shrug, you know?

Like I didn't get it.

It seemed a little depressing.

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