ProPublica seeks betting histories to examine app practices
The newsroom is seeking records from at least 250 FanDuel and DraftKings users to study promotions, VIP invitations and responsible gambling notices.
ProPublica is asking users of FanDuel and DraftKings to share their betting histories for an investigation into how sports betting apps respond to users’ behaviour. The newsroom says it has not yet reached its goal of collecting records from at least 250 people.
The project will examine when the apps provide betting boosts, invite users into VIP programmes and issue responsible gambling notices. ProPublica says the records will help reporters look for patterns; the request does not establish what those patterns will show.
Users can provide data through a browser extension, eligible data requests to the betting companies, or exports from third-party trackers. The extension is designed for desktop use in Chrome or Firefox, and ProPublica estimates the process takes five to 10 minutes. Eligibility for company data requests varies by state, and ProPublica says users have reported waits of more than 30 days.
ProPublica says uploaded files go to its newsroom and are not shared with the sportsbooks or anyone outside the newsroom. It says reporters will contact contributors before publishing any part of an individual submission.
The newsroom warns that using the extension is at the user’s own risk and could result in a betting app terminating their service. The source does not report that any account has been terminated.
