I Posed as a Problem Gambler. DraftKings Made Me a VIP(www.propublica.org)
53 pointsby theblazehen10 hours ago4 comments
  • kmeisthaxan hour ago
    > If a customer waves too many red flags, she said, the company will proactively close the account. But when I asked how often this actually happens, DraftKings wouldn’t say.

    DraftKings will also ban your account if you're too good at betting. The perverse thing about sports betting is that it's technically a game of skill, but the sports gambling companies really, really would rather it not be one.

  • jgalt2124 hours ago
    Matt Levine discussed this relevant NY Times article.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/19/business/draftkings-ai.ht...

    Pull quote:

    > Ms. Kalani said that company leaders made a “collective decision” not to use predictive technology for problem gambling. “We evaluated that it wasn’t evidence-based,” she said.

  • ChrisArchitect5 hours ago
    Related:

    DraftKings Uses A.I. To Target the Gamblers Likeliest to Lose

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49765288

  • N_Lens10 hours ago
    Expected. I'm always surprised that virtue signals like "gamble responsibly" or "corporate social responsibility" or the usual greenwashing campaigns work. People are seemingly very gullible.
    • cyanydeez8 hours ago
      those arn't greenwashing. They're carveouts by Corporations to prevent liability from acruing.

      I have no idea what bridge you live under, but ignoring regulatory capture seems pretty obtuse.

      • rythmshifter7 hours ago
        I agree with your sentiment here, but was the bridge comment necessary?

        Ban all gambling in my opinion

        • pkthunder7 hours ago
          It’s pretty commonly accepted that gambling is an addiction, the OP’s comment comes off as dismissive (people being gullible).

          We don’t talk about alcoholics being gullible - why gamblers? It’s pretty clear how unregulated the industry is, especially in the current climate.

          • thunky5 hours ago
            We also don't talk about banning alcohol.

            Freedom includes being free to self regulate and to make mistakes.

            • tocs34 hours ago
              Freedom includes being free to self regulate and to make mistakes.

              But freedom also includes recognizing problems and acting responsibly to minimize the adverse affects to society at large. The problem being pointed out here is that some may be placing obstacles in the paths of those who are having trouble self regulating.

            • kelseyfrog3 hours ago
              Gamblers aren't free in any meaningful sense. That's what a compulsion is - the inability to do otherwise.

              Being free to self-regulate makes sense when a person has the capacity to self-regulate. It's nonsensical and Procrustean when applies to a person who lacks the ability.

            • lux-lux-luxan hour ago
              We had two amendments to the constitution about exactly that lmao. Alcohol is highly regulated.
              • thunky3 minutes ago
                Yet there's nothing stopping someone from drinking themselves to oblivion.
            • brewcejener5 hours ago
              [dead]