Trump is holding predatory online sportsbooks accountable

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Cite

Schweppe, J. (2026, October 15). Trump is holding predatory online sportsbooks accountable. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/4767163/trump-is-holding-predatory-online-sportsbooks-accountable-luring-in-addicts/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Washington Examiner · collected 2026-10-15 · by Jon Schweppe

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump’s Federal Trade Commission is investigating online sportsbook companies like DraftKings and FanDuel for allegedly deceptive advertising practices aimed at exploiting gambling addicts. Recent reports from the New York Times and Philadelphia Inquirer detail how these companies use AI algorithms to target high-risk gamblers and keep them betting, often through personalized VIP programs designed to maximize profits by retaining big losers as customers. The investigation follows leaked audio from a gaming conference in Las Vegas where industry professionals discussed strategies for using new technologies to increase revenue by identifying and keeping heavy-losing players engaged.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-15, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

As of October 15, 2026, President Donald Trump's Federal Trade Commission has initiated an investigation into online sportsbooks such as DraftKings and FanDuel for their "deceptive and misleading advertisements." The FTC's actions are aimed at addressing the exploitative practices these companies use to target gambling addicts. According to a report by the New York Times, DraftKings employs AI algorithms to identify bettors most likely to develop compulsive gambling habits, then encourages continued betting rather than protecting them from addiction. In July 2026, the Philadelphia Inquirer highlighted FanDuel's "VIP" program, which uses various tactics including personalized messages from sports personalities like Bryce Harper, to lure heavy losers back into betting. These revelations underscore the need for regulatory oversight in an industry that often promises responsibility but engages in practices designed to exploit vulnerable individuals.

Written for “Trump Cracks Down On Sportsbooks” on 2026-10-15, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans strongly left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans strongly left for article 82791 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-15

Story

📰 Trump Cracks Down On Sportsbooks
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
28
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
4%
1 of 28 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
Washington Examiner's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-15 · how these are computed

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Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Jon Schweppe
1 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 To would-be regulators, they emphasize a commitment to “responsible gaming” and protecting problem gamblers from themselves.
2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Trump is holding predatory online sportsbooks accountable
The only article under this byline in the corpus.

Topics

DraftKings FanDuel Federal Trade Commission the New York Times the Philadelphia Inquirer

Subjects

DraftKings ORG · 2× FanDuel ORG · 2× Griffus PERSON · 2× Bryce Harper PERSON · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Federal Trade Commission ORG · 1× Las Vegas GPE · 1× Philadelphia Phillies ORG · 1× the New York Times ORG · 1× the Philadelphia Inquirer ORG · 1×

Narrative

And in July, the Philadelphia Inquirer published a report about how FanDuel’s “VIP” program, which similarly aims to keep its biggest losers from quitting, employs all sorts of methods to entice addicts back to the betslip, including in one instance a personalized message from Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-15
🔮 To would-be regulators, they emphasize a commitment to “responsible gaming” and protecting problem gamblers from themselves.
2026-10-15 · Washington Examiner
Trump is holding predatory online sportsbooks accountable · assertive framing

Claims (28 extracted, 1 hedged)

President Donald Trump’s Federal Trade Commission has quietly begun an investigation into online sportsbooks such as DraftKings and FanDuel for “deceptive and misleading advertisements.” asserted
Commission → begin → advertisements
That’s a good thing. asserted
That → ’ → ?
These companies have built their entire business model on exploiting gambling addicts. asserted
companies → build → addicts
Just last month, the New York Times revealed how DraftKings uses AI algorithms to target the bettors most likely to veer into compulsive addictive behavior — not to cut them off, but to find ways to encourage them to keep gambling. asserted
DraftKings → reveal → them
And in July, the Philadelphia Inquirer published a report about how FanDuel’s “VIP” program, which similarly aims to keep its biggest losers from quitting, employs all sorts of methods to entice addicts back to the betslip, including in one instance a personalized message from Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper. asserted
which → publish → Harper
It often talks out of both sides of its mouth, depending on the target audience. asserted
It → talk → audience
To possible customers, these companies promise the opportunity to win big and enjoy your most rewarding season ever. asserted
companies → promise → season
To would-be regulators, they emphasize a commitment to “responsible gaming” and protecting problem gamblers from themselves. asserted
they → emphasize → themselves
But what do these companies say when they talk to each other in private? asserted
they → say → other
Well, thanks to new investigative reporting, now we know: they’re laughing about bilking their customers. asserted
they → know → customers
Last week, leaked audio from the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas revealed that gambling industry professionals were preoccupied with one question: How can the industry best use new technologies to maximize revenue? asserted
industry → leak → revenue
The answer, it appears, is to identify and retain the biggest losers as customers. asserted
it → appear → customers
CC Griffus, the director of iGaming & Sports Betting Operations at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Michigan, spoke brazenly about how the industry relies on its “VIP” players, the ones who lose the most money, to survive: “Five to ten percent of your top players are bringing in about eighty [percent],” she said. asserted
she → speak → percent
“We’re really trying to keep those ten percent around. asserted
We → try → percent
If they do leave, then we’ve got some issues, right? asserted
we → leave → issues
Or we’re trying to get more … from them.” That is: they’re trying to keep the addicts from quitting. And, as Griffus explains, “every VIP starts as a new player.” asserted
VIP → try → player
Persuading gamblers to lose more is key to the companies’ revenue maximization strategy. asserted
Persuading → persuade → strategy
This necessarily requires enlisting big losers into VIP programs. asserted
This → require → programs
But it also means, as one panelist suggested, reducing the “friction of financial transactions,” i.e., making it as easy as possible for a customer to wager more money than they initially intended. uncertain
they → mean → money
Online sportsbooks do this best by allowing users to connect their bank accounts and deposit thousands of dollars with one click. asserted
users → do → click
But casinos are apparently not too far behind as they invest in new technology that allows gamblers to avoid the ATM and instead use their smartphones to transfer money to gaming machines directly. asserted
gamblers → invest → machines
“It’s kind of scary,” Griffus admitted. asserted
Griffus → ’ → ?
The gambling companies are extremely effective at controlling the narrative. asserted
companies → control → narrative
Much of the criticism of the industry has been built on anecdotal accounts: a winner posting on social media about being limited or banned, or a big-time loser telling his story to the local newspaper. asserted
Much → build → newspaper
This has allowed the companies to largely avoid regulatory scrutiny up to this point. asserted
companies → allow → point
But that’s now starting to change — thanks to government oversight and quality investigative reporting. asserted
that → start → oversight
We should all be applauding the Trump-Vance FTC for seeking to hold these predatory companies accountable. asserted
companies → applaud → FTC
He previously served as a policy adviser to Chairman Ferguson at the Federal Trade Commission. asserted
He → serve → Commission
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