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I Deliberately Bet Like a Problem Gambler. DraftKings Made Me a VIP. (www.propublica.org)
submitted 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1426848/i-deliberately-bet-like-a-problem-gambler-draftkings-made-me-a-vip

  • Recklessness Rewarded: I blew $1,800 in one night by chasing my losses with bigger bets, a classic sign of problem gambling. The next day, DraftKings invited me to audition for its VIP program.
  • Casino Craze: Sportsbooks want to expand into online casinos, where you can lose a lot fast. I played 500 rounds of blackjack in a weekend — about half of my total bets over 10 weeks.
  • Profit Over Protection: The responsible gaming prompts telling me to pump the brakes were no match for the product design and promotions pushing me to do more gambling.
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[–] 43 points 18 hours ago (6 children)

Casinos have operated like this for years. People who loose lots of money get flown to VIP events with free hotel, meals, concerts, and even mix with movie stars. People are employed as concierge to these gamblers, so it's not MGM calling and encouraging you to gamble, it's Beth or Stephen.

Gambling is just theft with extra steps. I'd ban all of it, including the lottery.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 hours ago (1 child)

    Is it worth to intentionally lose that much to get all these perks?

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  • [–] 3 points 2 hours ago*

    I had a friend whose mom was a severe gambling addict. We visited them in Lake Charles and we got to stay in a free suite and ate for free at the buffet every night, thanks to the mom's status at the casinos. My friend told me that her mom had lost approximately $500,000 in total, and this was a woman that made $25 an hour as a nurse. That's about 10 years of career earnings totally pissed away.

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  • [–] 14 points 17 hours ago (3 children)

    The excuse I've heard over the years is if it was banned, organized crime would fill the void. Then you still have problems with gambling along with all the theft, fraud, extortion, and violence that organized crime brings.

    That's how it was back before states ran their own lotteries.

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  • [–] 19 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

    "If it was banned, organized crime would fill the void".

    It already IS organized crime. The only reason it's not considered organized crime, is because it's not banned, and therefore not a crime.

    But really, all thats saying is "If you banned it, they would still continue doing this exact same thing."

    Except now they need to bribe the government to allow them to continue. Thats the only difference.

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  • [–] 22 points 16 hours ago (1 child)

    Having it regulated instead of illegal means you can sue the house if they cheat. It means house profits are taxed. It means you can go through bankruptcy court instead of being found dead in a construction site.

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