Are Online Sportsbooks Designed to Keep Users Betting?
Sauder Schelkopf is investigating potential claims involving online sports betting platforms and whether certain products, features, and marketing practices may contribute to compulsive or addictive gambling behavior.
Overview
Online sports betting has expanded rapidly across the United States in recent years. With that growth has come increasing concern from families, clinicians, and policymakers about whether certain platforms are designed in ways that may encourage excessive or compulsive use.
Reports and investigations have raised questions about whether some platforms:
- Utilize design features that promote continuous engagement
- Offer promotions that may be confusing or misleading
- Send frequent notifications or incentives to encourage continued betting
- Make it easy to deposit funds while creating friction around withdrawals
- Target or retain users who may be experiencing gambling-related harm
In some cases, individuals and families report significant financial losses, emotional distress, and disruption to work, school, and relationships.
Emerging Legal Theories
Recent jury verdicts in unrelated technology cases have recognized that digital platforms can, under certain circumstances, be designed in ways that contribute to compulsive use and user harm. For example, juries have found that platform design choices—such as infinite content delivery, autoplay features, and persistent notifications—can be a substantial factor in causing harm when they are implemented without adequate safeguards.
These developments may have broader implications for other industries that rely on similar engagement-driven design features, including online sports betting platforms.
Potential Issues Under Investigation
Based on publicly available reporting, regulatory developments, and consumer complaints, our investigation is focused on whether certain practices may raise legal concerns, including:
1. Addictive Design Features
Some platforms may incorporate features that encourage rapid, repeated betting, including real-time or “in-play” wagers that resolve quickly and allow continuous betting activity.
These features may:
- Increase frequency of betting decisions
- Reduce natural stopping points
- Encourage prolonged engagement
2. Targeted Promotions and Incentives
Reports suggest that some users may receive personalized offers, bonuses, or incentives based on their activity levels. In certain situations, these communications may continue even after users show signs of heavy losses or problematic use.
3. Marketing to Younger or Vulnerable Users
There are concerns that advertising and promotional strategies may disproportionately reach younger individuals or those at higher risk of developing gambling-related harms.
4. Failure to Warn or Provide Safeguards
Some investigations have raised questions about whether users are adequately informed about the risks of gambling addiction or provided with effective tools to limit or stop their activity.
Reported Harm
Individuals who report problems associated with online sports betting describe impacts such as:
- Significant financial losses or debt
- Anxiety, depression, or other mental health effects
- Strained personal relationships
- Declines in academic or professional performance
Gambling disorder is recognized as a diagnosable condition that can affect individuals similarly to substance-related addictions.
Who May Be Affected
Our investigation is focused on individuals who:
- Developed compulsive or problematic gambling behaviors after using online sportsbooks
- Experienced substantial financial losses tied to betting activity
- Began using betting platforms at a young age
- Received repeated promotions, incentives, or targeted communications encouraging continued betting
How a Lawsuit May Help
Depending on the facts and applicable law, potential claims may seek compensation for:
- Financial losses
- Costs of mental health treatment
- Lost wages or diminished earning capacity
- Emotional distress and related harms
Contact Us
If you or a family member has experienced harm related to online sports betting, fill out the form on this page.
Submitting information is free and confidential. You are not obligated to pursue a claim.
Experience Matters
Sauder Schelkopf has a nationally recognized litigation practice. The firm currently serves as court-appointed lead counsel in courts across the country. The attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf have recovered over $1 billion on behalf of their clients and class members. Our firm was recognized by the Legal Intelligencer’s 2022 Professional Excellence Awards. The Legal Intelligencer’s Professional Excellence Awards honor Pennsylvania law firms and attorneys who have made a significant, positive impact on the legal profession. Our firm was named in the Litigation Departments of the Year (Specialty Area category; runner-up), an award that honors the best litigation practice in a small or mid-sized firm in Pennsylvania. This recognition was based on the firm’s 2021 litigation work and its important ongoing cases. LawDragon has recognized our attorneys in its list of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022. This list notes: “From the opioid epidemic to toxic substances and defective products, truck accidents to wildfires and sexual abuse, these are the lawyers who stand on the front line in individual lawsuits and class actions seeking justice.” Mr. Schelkopf was named to Pennsylvania’s Best Lawyers® 2022 for Class Actions/Mass Tort Litigation. The American Lawyer named Mr. Sauder to its 2021 Northeast Trailblazers. The honor recognizes 60 lawyers who are “truly agents of change.” It “recognizes professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry.” The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Sauder and Mr. Schelkopf in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” The Legal highlighted the firm’s innovative work on advocacy as class counsel in large institutional sex abuse cover-ups, women’s, and children’s rights. Our attorneys have also consistently been recognized by their peers being named to Pennsylvania SuperLawyer, a distinction held by the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania. The National Trial Lawyers Association has also selected our attorneys as the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania.
We Want to Hear from You
If you or a family member has experienced harm related to online sports betting, you can contact the attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf by filling out the form on this page.