Lawsuit accuses sportsbooks of using addictive technology - ESPN

Hours after a Los Angeles jury found that Meta and YouTube harmed a young user by utilizing addictive features, attorneys involved in the case filed suit against DraftKings and FanDuel and accused the sportsbooks of using technology and methods similar to those as social media companies to keep customers betting and causing some of them to develop gambling addictions.

In a personal injury complaint filed Wednesday in Massachusetts state court, attorneys allege that the sportsbooks track users' behavior and use that data to target them to keep betting «precisely when they're most susceptible, like late at night or after a big loss.»

«Defendants have full visibility into users' concerning betting patterns and then push the users to gamble further through targeted advertising, personalized 'bonus' incentives, and 'push' notifications,» the suit alleges.

FanDuel declined to comment. DraftKings did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit is the second filed this week in conjunction with the Public Health Advocacy Institute, a legal research center at Northeastern University. On Tuesday, clients represented by PHAI sued FanDuel, DraftKings, the NFL and data company Genius Sports in Pennsylvania state court, alleging that they offer a «known addictive product.»

Tune in to «Nightline» at 12:35 a.m. ET/PT and «Good Morning America» on Friday for an ABC News investigation into the growing link between youth gambling and addiction, and why experts are calling it a growing public health crisis.

The cases are part of an uptick in gambling litigation in recent years. Similar suits have been dismissed in the past, however, with judges ruling that sportsbooks and casinos are not legally responsible for monitoring