Topline
An Illinois man filed a lawsuit against DraftKings alleging the betting firm fueled his gambling addiction, causing him to lose his job and drain more than $2 million in assets that included his wedding fund, as other litigation tests whether sportsbooks can be held liable for physical harm.
The 32-year-old claims to have depleted personal loans, credit cards, a 401(k) and his wedding fund for his betting.
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Key Facts
Dane Miller, 32, filed a personal injury lawsuit against DraftKings earlier this week, alleging the sportsbook relies on “complex analytical tools, algorithms and databases to enhance its product and increase” the risk of gambling addiction, claiming the platform drove him to place more than $2 million in total wagers.
Miller opened a DraftKings account around October 2020, and his wagers “quickly escalated” as DraftKings sent him push notifications about live sporting events he could bet on, the lawsuit claims, and as he increased his wagers, Miller was designated a DraftKings “VIP” and he received various benefits to increase his betting, including tickets to a suite at the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field.
Miller secured personal loans, credit cards, 401(k) loans and used funding from his wedding to fund his frequent online sports betting, and in September 2024, Miller’s employer terminated his employment after determining his sports betting was a problem, the suit claims.
He alleges he sustained and continues to sustain “significant” physical injury and harm as a result of DraftKings, after Miller was admitted to Northwest Community Hospital—where he was diagnosed with severe gambling disorder—with suicidal ideation in October 2024.
DraftKings did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
tangent
A similar class-action lawsuit against FanDuel and DraftKings in Massachusetts state court alleges the sportsbooks track user behavior and use that data to target them to keep betting “precisely when they’re most susceptible,” ESPN reported earlier this year. That was the second litigation filed in a week targeting the sportsbooks, after an earlier complaint alleged the companies, the NFL and the data company Genius Sports offered a “known addictive product.”
surprising fact
Judge Joseph Leeson ruled against a class-action lawsuit targeting DraftKings in Pennsylvania federal court in March, ruling that state law does not impose a duty on casinos and sportsbooks to police customers’ betting habits. The lawsuit similarly alleged that DraftKings’ marketing and VIP loyalty programs resulted in gambling addictions among bettors.
key background
Claims against sportsbooks follow historic rulings against social media companies over addictive design features. Meta and Google, the parent company of YouTube, were found liable in March for harming a woman’s mental health after she claimed she became addicted to the two companies’ apps because of their addictive features. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, who testified during the case’s trial, insisted his company was “building this thing to be a good thing that has value in people’s lives.” The case is one of thousands targeting Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snap amid mounting criticism of social media companies’ detrimental impact on users’ mental health.
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