ProPublica reporter Jake Pearson conducted an experiment where he bet on sports using DraftKings and FanDuel during the NBA playoffs to simulate problem gambling behavior. The documentary team at ProPublica filmed this process over ten weeks as Pearson increased his betting frequency and amounts, chasing losses with larger bets. The article explores whether these apps provide adequate safeguards for users who might be developing a gambling addiction or if they encourage continued betting despite potential harm.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Jake Pearson, funded by ProPublica with over $22K, spent 10 weeks gambling on DraftKings and FanDuel to test the companies' claims about "responsible gaming" features. Since the Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting in 2018, nearly a quarter of all Americans now have active sportsbook accounts, particularly men aged 18-49 where it's over half. Pearson found that despite these safeguards, the apps’ design and promotions pushed him to continue gambling rather than discouraging risky behavior. He encountered minimal resistance as he increased his wagers, including a $5,000 deposit matched with an extra $1,250 in free DK Dollars after opting into a cool-off period. The experiment highlighted the ease with which apps can facilitate addictive betting patterns despite advertised protections against gambling addiction.
Written for “Sports Betting Experiment” on 2026-10-10,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 70150 · logged 2026-10-10
Earlier this year, we heard that reporter Jake Pearson planned to ask our editors at ProPublica for more than $20,000 so he could spend the NBA playoffs betting like a problem gambler.
uncertain
he → hear → gambler
We told him we wanted in on the action.
asserted
we → tell → action
For 10 weeks, our documentary team at ProPublica filmed Jake as he dove ball-cap-first into DraftKings and FanDuel, the country’s largest online sportsbooks.
asserted
he → film → DraftKings
Jake bet early, late and often, ramping up the amounts and frequency of his wagers, chasing his losses with even bigger bets.
asserted
Jake → bet → bets
He wanted to flagrantly wave the red flags of a gambler descending into addiction.
asserted
He → want → addiction
Would the apps serve up speed bumps as he careened into the red, or would they push him to keep betting?
asserted
they → serve → him
Since 2018, the year the Supreme Court opened the door for states to legalize sports betting, the number of people staking money on games has exploded.
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number → open → games
It’s now legal in 39 states and Washington, D.C.
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It → ’ → states
The apps don’t just offer straight action on the outcome of a “Sunday Night Football” game — you can put money on myriad sports events and outcomes, including who will score the next point in a tense contest of Czech table tennis.
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who → offer → tennis
Every month, millions do.
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millions → do → ?
More than $600 billion has sloshed through the legal sportsbooks in wagers — and brought billions in state tax revenue — in the last eight years.
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billion → slosh → years
But between the ever-present ads featuring celebrities from LeBron James and Charles Barkley to Kevin Hart and Kendall Jenner, cracks in the system have started to show.
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cracks → feature → system
About a quarter of active sportsbook account holders surveyed by the Siena Research Institute this year said that they’d lost enough on a bet that they’d have trouble meeting their financial obligations.
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they → survey → obligations
Other studies and public health experts warn of rising cases of bankruptcy, addiction and self-harm.
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studies → warn → bankruptcy
DraftKings and FanDuel say that they don’t want to profit off bettors who can’t control themselves, and they provide a range of what the industry calls “responsible gaming” tools to help users stay in check.
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users → say → check
Jake received pop-up notices, reminders and emails noting his time on the app and nudging him to “take a beat” after a loss.
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Jake → receive → loss
He opted into some of the tools DraftKings makes available.
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DraftKings → opt → tools
But he was struck by user design choices and promotions that encouraged him to keep betting, some of which he was served right after setting limits on his play.
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he → strike → play
In a statement, DraftKings told ProPublica that it trains its more than 5,000 employees on responsible gaming and has more than 50 full-time staff dedicated to its “responsible engagement” program.
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it → tell → program
A FanDuel spokesperson wrote that the company’s program is “designed to identify potential risk early and empower customers with real-time information about their play.”
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program → write → play
Even so, regulators and lawmakers from Colorado to Massachusetts have begun to question whether sportsbooks have sufficient protections in place.
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sportsbooks → begin → place
Those concerns have risen with the popularization of prediction markets, which are even less regulated than sports betting apps like DraftKings.
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which → rise → DraftKings
We were behind the camera back in April when Jake opened his DraftKings account to place his first bet, a $100 Hail Mary wager for the New York Knicks to win the chip.
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Knicks → open → chip
We had no idea what a ride it would be.
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it → have → idea
Watch our new documentary that follows Jake as he intentionally descends into problem gambling — and see how the apps react.
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apps → watch → gambling
Have you used apps like DraftKings or FanDuel to place sports bets?
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you → use → bets
ProPublica is looking for at least 250 people who use these apps to share their data with us.
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who → look → us
Your transaction history will help us better understand how the apps respond to user behavior.
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apps → help → behavior
You can also reach Jake Pearson and the reporting team at 917-512-0276 or [email protected].
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You → reach → ]
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