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DraftKings closes reporter's account after investigation into betting guardrails

11h ← 7w

Summary

  • ProPublica reporter Jake Pearson spent 10 weeks betting like a problem gambler to test online sportsbooks' guardrails, losing about $12,500 on DraftKings.
  • DraftKings made him a VIP after about three weeks and roughly $6,000 in losses, while sending sparse responsible gaming prompts.
  • His investigation, published in September 2026, went viral and reached state regulators and federal lawmakers.
  • DraftKings closed his account by unsigned email in late October 2026, hours after he sent follow-up questions, and mailed him a 94-cent check.
  • DraftKings says its responsible gaming system worked as intended and denies improperly targeting losing gamblers.
  • ProPublica is collecting bettors' app data to study how major operators handle problem gambling.

Reactions

  • DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said he had personally looked at Pearson's entire betting history and was proud of how the company handled it.
  • DraftKings chief responsible gaming officer Lori Kalani said the system worked the way it was supposed to, citing some 30 responsible gaming messages sent during Pearson's spree.
  • DraftKings denied improperly targeting losing gamblers and called regular conversations and check-ins with regulators normal business.
  • Regulators from across the country cited the investigation in announcing they would examine how DraftKings and similar companies incentivize betting.
  • Rob Minnick, a recovering gambling addict, said the industry's responsible gaming approach is built to appear helpful while giving companies a free pass.
  • FanDuel declined to make Pearson a VIP and once refused his $500 wager during the experiment.

Timeline newest first

  1. DraftKings closed Jake Pearson's account by unsigned email in late October 2026, hours after Pearson sent questions for a follow-up story on October 27.
  2. Two hours after the closure notice, DraftKings sent a formal response denying it improperly targets losing gamblers.
  3. DraftKings mailed Pearson a check for 94 cents, the remainder of his balance, and did not respond when he asked why the account was closed.
  4. On October 22, 2026, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said he had personally looked at Pearson's betting history and was proud of how the company handled it.
  5. Regulators across the country cited Pearson's investigation in announcing reviews of how DraftKings and similar companies incentivize users to keep betting.
  6. Ohio regulators proposed a rule restricting betting apps' marketing practices that addressed a finding of the investigation.
  7. Federal and state officials demanded answers about how DraftKings lures customers in and keeps them betting.
  8. A 27-minute behind-the-scenes documentary posted on October 10, 2026 drew more than 6 million views in three weeks, mostly from young men.
  9. On September 26, 2026, ProPublica asked bettors to submit their sports betting app data to study how apps incentivize play; 82 people had shared data by then.
  10. In September 2026, Pearson published an investigation of DraftKings' guardrails after 10 weeks deliberately betting like a problem gambler and losing about $12,500.
  11. After Pearson lost $1,800 in one night chasing losses on Knicks and Cavaliers bets, DraftKings invited him the next day to audition for its VIP program.
  12. DraftKings assigned Pearson a personal VIP host after three weeks and about $6,000 in losses.
  13. FanDuel declined to make Pearson a VIP and once refused his $500 wager during the experiment.

Sources newest first

  • I Investigated the Online Sports Betting Industry. DraftKings Shut Down My Account.propublica.org· 11h

    ProPublica's Jake Pearson recounts how DraftKings made him a VIP while he bet like a problem gambler for his viral investigation into the industry's guardrails, then closed his account with a 94-cent check and no explanation hours after he sent questions for a follow-up story. DraftKings says its responsible-gaming system worked as intended, and regulators and federal officials have cited his reporting.

  • Help ProPublica Report on Sports Betting by Sending Us Your App Datapropublica.org· 7w

    ProPublica asks readers who have used sports betting apps like FanDuel and DraftKings to submit their app data, aiming for at least 250 uploads, to study how the apps incentivize play and when they urge users to slow down. It says the files go only to its newsroom, notes users have reported the companies taking more than 30 days to provide data directly, and offers three submission methods, including a browser extension, taking 5 to 10 minutes.

  • I Deliberately Bet Like a Problem Gambler. DraftKings Made Me a VIP.propublica.org· 7w

    ProPublica reporter Jake Pearson spent 10 weeks deliberately betting like a compulsive gambler to test sportsbooks' safeguards, losing more than $12,500 on DraftKings — which rewarded him with VIP perks, bigger deposit buttons, and relentless promotions between sparse responsible-gaming prompts. FanDuel declined to make him a VIP and once refused his $500 wager, while DraftKings says its system worked as designed.

Background newest first

  • An N.B.A. Player Got Hooked on Sports Betting. Soon, He Became the Betnewyorker.com· 6d

    A New Yorker article traces how Jontay Porter — brother of N.B.A. star Michael Porter, Jr. — saw a promising career undone by knee injuries, fell into a ruinous gambling addiction that cost him millions, and agreed with a bookie to rig his own stats in a scheme that got him banned from the league. It also follows FanDuel and DraftKings' rise into what it calls the largest expansion of gambling in American history, arguing their V.I.P. programs chase the addicts who lose the most, while Porter, now in therapy, mends his family and bets no more.

  • From Pill Mills to Prop Bets: Prediction Markets and Mobile Sports Betting Apps Are Fueling America’s Next Addiction Crisisliberalcurrents.com· 39w

    Alan Elrod argues at Liberal Currents that prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket and mobile sports betting apps from DraftKings and FanDuel are fueling an addiction crisis through prop bets, parlays, and frictionless in-game wagering, drawing a parallel to the opioid crisis described in "Dopesick" and "Empire of Pain." Citing surveys of problem gambling, a bettor's $100,000 losses, and researchers' warnings, he suspects that by 2046 we will wonder how we allowed this, though DraftKings' CEO called banning prop bets "crazy."