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I Deliberately Bet Like a Problem Gambler. DraftKings Made Me a VIP. (www.propublica.org)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1426848/i-deliberately-bet-like-a-problem-gambler-draftkings-made-me-a-vip

  • Recklessness Rewarded: I blew $1,800 in one night by chasing my losses with bigger bets, a classic sign of problem gambling. The next day, DraftKings invited me to audition for its VIP program.
  • Casino Craze: Sportsbooks want to expand into online casinos, where you can lose a lot fast. I played 500 rounds of blackjack in a weekend — about half of my total bets over 10 weeks.
  • Profit Over Protection: The responsible gaming prompts telling me to pump the brakes were no match for the product design and promotions pushing me to do more gambling.
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[–] 50 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Casinos have operated like this for years. People who loose lots of money get flown to VIP events with free hotel, meals, concerts, and even mix with movie stars. People are employed as concierge to these gamblers, so it's not MGM calling and encouraging you to gamble, it's Beth or Stephen.

Gambling is just theft with extra steps. I'd ban all of it, including the lottery.

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  • [–] 16 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    The excuse I've heard over the years is if it was banned, organized crime would fill the void. Then you still have problems with gambling along with all the theft, fraud, extortion, and violence that organized crime brings.

    That's how it was back before states ran their own lotteries.

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  • [–] 22 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    "If it was banned, organized crime would fill the void".

    It already IS organized crime. The only reason it's not considered organized crime, is because it's not banned, and therefore not a crime.

    But really, all thats saying is "If you banned it, they would still continue doing this exact same thing."

    Except now they need to bribe the government to allow them to continue. Thats the only difference.

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  • [–] 29 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Having it regulated instead of illegal means you can sue the house if they cheat. It means house profits are taxed. It means you can go through bankruptcy court instead of being found dead in a construction site.

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