The Current: Please Give FanDuel (And Others) Credit For Trying On Responsible Gambling

DraftKings launches commercial campaign on RG; NCAA rolls out anti-harassment ads; Kalshi does a deal with Perplexity AI for March Madness

Mar 18, 2025

The popular thing to do right now is dump on legal sportsbooks. And, honestly, sometimes they deserve it.

But they also deserve a bit of credit when they do something good.

I have never been the biggest fan of TV and radio personality Craig Carton, before or after his problems with gambling addiction. When Carton initially signed on as FanDuel’s responsible gaming ambassador in 2021, I dismissed it as 1. FanDuel doing something to check a box on RG and 2. Carton doing something to rehabilitate his image. I am of course pretty cynical about everything.

But when I heard last week about what FanDuel had planned with Carton — an entire television show dedicated to telling people’s stories around gambling addiction — it made me rethink my priors.

Let’s break down what Carton and FanDuel are doing to get you up to speed:

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“FanDuel TV launched ‘The Comeback With Craig Carton,’ a new show focused on problem gambling recovery hosted by FanDuel’s responsible gaming ambassador and FS1’s “Breakfast Ball” star. Carton sits down with those who have experienced the highs and lows of gambling addiction to amplify their stories, break down the stigma surrounding gambling disorder, raise awareness of support resources for individuals and their families, and show that recovery is possible.”
The show will air monthly on Mondays at 10 am ET on FanDuel’s FAST channel, FanDuel TV Extra and stream on FanDuel’s YouTube channel.
“Our hope for The Comeback With Craig Carton is to raise awareness of problem gambling and foster open dialogue to tackle the stigma that still exists today,” said FanDuel’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Sustainability Cory Fox. “Whether those conversations are amongst friends, spouses, parents or coaches, we want to educate our audience on what the warning signs are and be comfortable asking for help.”

Even as cynical as I am, it’s hard for me to see anything but an honest attempt to do something good on the problem and responsible gambling front. Standing up an entire show just about gambling addiction? That’s not nothing.

And in the world of trying to break through with responsible gambling messaging, it’s a fascinating attempt to get the discussion in front of people who need or want to hear it. We get the occasional story written about a problem gambler, but those stories might shock us for a moment before we all move on collectively. Persistently telling these stories — that affect normal people and celebrities alike — is different.

Everyone yells at regulated sports betting to DO SOMETHING. Well, here’s something. Whether you like the “something” or not, we should at least applaud FanDuel (or any gambling company) that is trying.

I am going to watch. And I hope people who need to hear these stories do too.

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Gambling news today

DraftKings sings along to ‘The Gambler’ in responsible gaming push (Marketing Dive): “DraftKings’ latest responsible gaming campaign revolves around the lyrics to ‘The Gambler’ — knowing when to hold ‘em, fold ’em, walk away and run — just in time for March Madness. Over the past three tournaments, DraftKings has processed more than 300 million bets. The brand saw an over 250% year-over-year increase in bets for the most recent women’s tournament.
‘We really believe that responsible gaming is for everyone, and we want to be investing in marketing and communications that drive awareness of this and leans into our point of view that it’s more fun when it’s for fun,’ said DraftKings CMO Stephanie Sherman. ‘We wanted the campaign to deliver on that fun and exciting social experience for our customers.’”
- I like the commercial, and I’ll be the first one to tell you that I haven’t loved a lot of DraftKings’ ads over the years. It’s memorable and has a good message. Will it accomplish its intended goal of getting more people to gambling responsibly? It’s hard to say. But like above, I am applauding anything that attempts to make a difference on this front, both in real impacts and optically. DraftKings made a high-quality commercial and is paying to run the campaign. That’s at least trying.
MLBPA’s NIL Suit Against DraftKings Can Continue, Judge Says (Front Office Sports): “The MLB Players Association’s lawsuit against DraftKings will move forward after a U.S. district judge in Pennsylvania dismissed the sportsbook’s request to drop the case. The union had sued last year, alleging that several gambling companies illegally used players’ photos to advertise prop bets. In a decision released Monday, judge Karen Marston wrote that the union’s business arm MLB Players, Inc. has made plausible claims for ‘violation of the common law right of publicity’ and ‘unjust enrichment’ in using players’ name, image, and likeness ‘without authorization and for their own commercial gain’ in promotional materials.”
- I can’t imagine that DraftKings wants to be in a long-term court case with the players’ association, but it probably doesn’t want to give up given the content of the case. Tough spot.
‘Don’t Be a Loser’: NCAA launches sports betting anti-harassment video (NCAA): “The NCAA has launched a new video to air throughout the men's and women's March Madness tournament broadcasts, as well as online, as part of the Draw the Line campaign. The new spot, titled ‘Don't Be a Loser,’ calls attention to the alarming prevalence of abuse and harassment student-athletes face from angry fans who lost a bet. ‘The horrific messages we are seeing across online platforms is absolutely unacceptable,’ NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "Angry fans are sending numerous abusive messages and threats to student-athletes, publicly and privately, because of lost bets placed on the athlete's performance in a game. These actions severely threaten student-athlete mental health and well-being, while harming the college athletics environment. We need fans to do better. We need states to do better and ban player props that target student-athletes and enable detrimental abuse.’”
- Will people who partake in this kind of behavior alter what they do or stop it altogether because of a commercial? It’s at least worth a shot. It’s nice to see the NCAA doing something active on this front rather than just complaining. The far more effective things to do would be to 1. try to work with social media platforms to ban people that do this kind of thing 2. educate athletes to turn off or ignore comments/interactions of this ilk. But short of those things, this campaign is a start.
- Here’s the spot:
New York Senate Committee Unanimously Passes Bill Banning Sweepstakes Gaming (Covers): “A bill that would ban sweepstakes gaming in the Empire State received a favorable vote on Tuesday. The New York Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering unanimously passed S5935, moving the legislation to the Senate floor, according to Howard Glaser, global head of government affairs at Light & Wonder. The bill hasn’t been scheduled to be heard yet, but it’s still a significant step in the battle to make the controversial online social casinos and sportsbooks illegal.”
- It feels like a piece of news like this goes in this newsletter every day, and that velocity continues to portend bad things for the sweepstakes industry.
Caesars addition of Icahn execs to board 'positive' for shares, says Jefferies (The Fly): “The announcement that two Icahn executives will join the board of directors of Caesars is "not surprising," but incrementally positive for the shares, Jefferies analyst David Katz tells investors in a research note. The firm, which has a Buy rating and $50 price target on the shares, thinks there is potential value upside in the digital business once its earnings power is established, as is the case with the other segments of the business.”
Stifel Uncertain On ESPN Bet Path, Lowers PENN Target (Legal Sports Report): “Concerns over Penn Entertainment’s partnership with ESPN Bet and the larger macroeconomic picture have led to a lower price target from Stifel.
Stifel cut the target for PENN to $19 per share, down from $22, while maintaining its hold rating in a March 17 report. The change comes as Penn faces mounting investor pressure over its online sports betting strategy. Hedge fund HG Vora, which owns a significant stake in the company, launched a proxy battle in February, after nearly $4 billion in losses tied to its interactive segment.”
- If you subscribe to my Friday newsletter, The Cashout, you’re well aware that ESPN Bet has been going nowhere fast for a while.
Underdog Fantasy Will Apply for Missouri Sports Betting License (Sports Betting Dime): “Missouri has at least one confirmed interested applicant for a license. An Underdog Fantasy representative confirmed with Sports Betting Dime that the company will be applying for a Missouri sports betting license when the Missouri Gaming Commission opens the license application window.
If approved, Underdog Fantasy would hold four live sports betting licenses across the U.S.”
- TCL also is aware of Underdog’s interest in Missouri. If nothing else, it’s an interesting time to contest the market as some of the traditional US sports betting powerhouses have been using less of their marketing muscle (outside of FanDuel and DraftKings, at least). Alongside a surging Fanatics and bet365’s expansion, it’s possible we will see a new pecking order in the second tier. With a green-field opportunity on a new launch, can Underdog move the needle?
Bill To Ban College Prop Bets Introduced In Congress (Casino Reports): Introduced on Feb. 25, the bill — ‘‘Providing Responsible Oversight and Transparency and Ensuring Collegiate Trust for Student Athletes Act,” or, the PROTECT Act — was written by first-term Congressman Michael Baumgartner of Washington. He doubles as the chair of the College Sports Caucus. ‘Sports gambling on college campuses has surged in recent years,’ Baumgartner said in a press release. ‘Student athletes dedicate themselves to their sport and education, and it’s essential that we protect their integrity both on and off the field. This bill doesn’t ban betting on college sports games, but it targets wagers on student athletes’ individual performances. We are witnessing a troubling rise in harassment of college athletes on campuses, as well as an alarming increase in cases of student athletes being coerced into throwing games for financial gain.’
- I’d give a narrowly tailored bill like this one a better chance of becoming law than the SAFE Bet Act. It’s also backed by a Republican, which gives it more legs. I’ll continue to remind everyone there are tons of ways to bet on college sports all over the country outside of regulated sportsbooks. And if you think Kalshi is going to stop at game outcomes and not test prop bets… that’s cute.
Perplexity, Kalshi prediction market partner on March Madness (Axios): “Perplexity will integrate betting odds from prediction market Kalshi as part of a partnership that kicks off with this year's NCAA basketball tournaments. Why it matters: The move adds another source of real-time data to Perplexity's AI-based search engine and gives Kalshi new exposure.”
- The idea that Kalshi might take things slow after getting a cease-and-desist in Nevada is now completely up in smoke. Now, it seems like the idea is to move as fast as possible.
- Also, unless I am missing something, the much ballyhooed integration of Robinhood and Kalshi is off to a slow start. While the championship market is live, the single-game markets are still not up on Robinhood. If someone is seeing them on the RH app, please let me know. Here’s what it looks like for me:
- If Kalshi wants us to take them seriously as a financial instrument for betting on sports, I’d argue this doesn’t help:
Citizens JMP sees offshore betting as key sports market segment (Investing.com): The firm estimates that in 2024, the offshore sports betting market, combining offshore and bookie bets, accounted for $163 billion in handle, or $9.8 billion in gaming revenue within the United States. This figure surpasses the $150 billion that was legally wagered during the same period.
- Capturing how much money is wagered offshore is a difficult task at best. These figures at least pass a smell test, but it still amounts to an educated guess. The black market is somewhere between nothing and orders of magnitude larger than the legal market, which is most of what we need to know in reality.