This week we are featuring stories from Piper French, Jordan Blumetti, Zing Tsjeng, Ryan Cantú, and Luke Winkie.
gambling
The Biggest Loser
“He built an empire of men addicted to watching him lose enormous sums of money. In Las Vegas, I figured out why we can’t look away.”
The Wild Quest to Create a Fake Indian Cricket League … That Was Just the Beginning
“Davda’s Molipur cricket league was not a one-off caper, it turns out. It was a single node in a network of at least dozens of Molipur-style scams worldwide.”
Game, Set, Fix
“As gambling on tennis exploded into a $50 billion industry, he had infiltrated the sport, paying pros more to lose … than they could make by winning tournaments.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This edition includes writing from Cynthia R. Greenlee, Krithika Srinivason, Noah Vineberg, Monica Mark, and Alex Pappademas.
I Placed my First Wager When I was 10. I’ve Gambled More than $1 Million Since.
“I’ve lost a hell of a lot more than money.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This edition highlights stories by Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein, David Gauvey Herbert, Kit Chellel, Ashley Stimpson, and Nate Rogers.
The Gambler Who Beat Roulette
“For decades, casinos scoffed as mathematicians and physicists devised elaborate systems to take down the house. Then an unassuming Croatian’s winning strategy forever changed the game.”
My Decade of Temporary Homes
“I see, in hindsight, how mastering the ability to see through cards did not seem like an impossible thing to him. He had made seemingly impossible things happen before.”
