MINNESOTA PROBLEM GAMBLING HELPLINE 1-800-333-4673 (HOPE) • TEXT "HOPE" TO 53342 • CHAT NOW ONLINE info@mnapg.org
Inside DraftKings’ Responsible Gaming Efforts

Inside DraftKings’ Responsible Gaming Efforts

Dec 17, 2025 | HEALTHY PLAY, HELP, PROBLEM GAMBLING, RESOURCES, SPORTS BETTING

MNAPG posed questions to Lori Kalani, DraftKings’ chief responsible gambling officer to learn more about DraftKings’ problem gambling efforts. Below are her responses:

MNAPG:  We understand that My Budget Builder and My Stat Sheet are new responsible gaming (RG) tools for DraftKings. Can you share more about them?

LK: My Budget Builder guides customers through a simple process to set personalized entertainment budgets, reminders and limits. My Stat Sheet provides customers with a clear personalized snapshot of their play activity, including time spent, deposits, withdrawals, wagers and outcomes. Both are designed to help customers make informed decisions and play responsibly.

MNAPG: What information is included with alerts and does anything happen if a customer exceeds the limits they set?

LK: We proactively encourage every player to set budgets for their deposit amounts, play time and size of bets, and we provide access to a range of tools and resources with which they can engage. Customers receive reminders when they approach the limits they’ve set. If a limit is reached, the platform enforces it automatically—for example, preventing additional deposits or gameplay until the current limit resets. Once a limit is set, it cannot be increased or cancelled until the timeframe for the limit has ended. More restrictive limits can be added at any time.

MNAPG: How many customers are currently using some of DraftKings’ responsible gaming tools and resources?

LK: Since launching our Responsible Gaming Center in 2024—a centralized hub for all the DraftKings RG tools and resources available at rg.draftkings.com—more than 5.6 million customers have visited. Approximately 3.5 million unique customers have used My Stat Sheet since the industry-first tool was introduced early last year. This June, we launched our newest tool, My Budget Builder, and we expect usage to increase throughout the NFL season.

MNAPG: How do you help make customers aware that these tools and resources exist?

LK: We highlight responsible gaming tools and resources throughout the customer journey. Some examples include promoting RG tools and resources at onboarding, in-app messaging, emails and various campaigns throughout the year. Within the app and online, an RG shield icon appears at the top of the screen, making the DraftKings Responsible Gaming Center just one click away so that tools and resources are seamlessly available as part of the product experience. To mark this year’s Responsible Gaming Education Month, we launched an NFL sweepstakes that incentivizes customers who use tools like My Budget Builder and My Stat Sheet with the chance to win weekly NFL ticket prizes, culminating in a grand prize trip to the Super Bowl.

MNAPG: Do you work with any external organizations or researchers to improve your responsible gaming efforts?

LK: Yes. We work with organizations such as the Cambridge Health Alliance, BetBlocker, Evive, the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) and the International Center for Responsible Gaming. Our work with Cambridge Health Alliance includes expanding research on responsible gaming and facilitating new opportunities to educate customers about the tools and resources that are available to help them play responsibly. We also provide funding to the National Council on Problem Gambling. DraftKings’ State Council Funding (SCF) program provides annual donations to 35 state problem gaming councils across the country to support their work. Since announcing the SCF program in 2022, we have donated millions of dollars, including to the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling. (Editor’s note: MNAPG used the funds provided by DraftKings to develop a pilot casino employee training program that’s currently being tested at Canterbury.)

MNAPG: Do you proactively identify customers who may be having challenges? If so, how is this done?

LK: We proactively encourage every player to set budgets for their deposit  amounts, play time and size of bets, and we provide access to a range of tools and resources with which they can engage. We use modeling techniques and advanced technology, including machine learning, to help identify when someone may no longer be playing for fun, which is then reviewed by our Responsible Gaming team for further analysis.

MNAPG: Does DraftKings work with the other members of the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) to ensure that if one of your customers is given a time out or excluded that it is active across all the other platforms?

LK: Today, most jurisdictions where we operate maintain shared exclusion databases, which are distributed to all licensed operators. In some states, operators also contribute their own self-exclusion data. While there isn’t yet an industry-wide system among operators, through ROGA we have announced the creation of a centralized exclusion clearinghouse. The first phase will introduce a national shared self-exclusion list so that when a player self-excludes with one member operator, that exclusion will also extend across all ROGA member platforms.

MNAPG: How do you see your RG tools and resources evolving over the next 2–3 years?

LK: In the next few years, we expect RG tools and resources to further evolve through AI and personalization. Smarter technology will allow these tools and resources to adapt dynamically, making them even more intuitive and seamless to the customer.

MNAPG: How do you measure success in responsible gaming initiatives?

LK: We consider, among other things, adoption rates, customer feedback and independent evidence-based research as we continue to enhance our responsible gaming tools and resources. Success means responsible play continues to be embedded in the DraftKings experience for every customer.

Getting a Handle on Gambling Debt: Advocates Say End of Tax Filing Season an Important Reminder to Reassess Gambling Behavior and Related Financial Trouble

Getting a Handle on Gambling Debt: Advocates Say End of Tax Filing Season an Important Reminder to Reassess Gambling Behavior and Related Financial Trouble

Apr 26, 2023 | HEALTHY PLAY

According to Debt.org, the average debt generated to people addicted to gambling is between $55,000 and $90,000. MNAPG says gambling carries the highest suicide rate of all diagnosed addictions, as those suffering don’t see a path to recovery from financial losses.

“Gambling can be a fun escape when you’re minimizing risk, but when people become addicted to gambling, personal finances can be dramatically impacted, and as a result, lives and families are torn apart,” says Susan Sheridan Tucker, Executive Director of MNAPG. “If you gamble, it’s critical to establish limits and find a healthy balance to meet your financial needs.”

Know the Warning Signs of Gambling-Related Financial Issues

MNAPG calls out these warning signs to identify if a loved one is having financial issues caused by gambling behavior:

  • Household bills are consistently overdue.
  • Unaccounted-for cash advances from credit cards, or maxed-out credit cards.
  • Person is secretive about money.
  • The person is making requests for unexplained loans from family/friends, or for loans that are blamed on phony financial matters.

If a loved one with a gambling problem is reluctant to address the issue, MNAPG says it’s important for people in the household to take strict precautions to keep themselves safe. Tips include setting up your own bank account, throwing away credit card offers and telling others not to lend money to person with the gambling problem.

To find help, call the Minnesota Helpline at 1-800-333-4673, and visit www.mnapg.org for more resources. Counseling is at no cost for the gambler or their family.

About the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling

MNAPG is a non-profit, gambling-neutral organization dedicated to improving the lives of Minnesotans affected by problem gambling. MNAPG is a coalition of individuals and organizations sharing the belief that problem gambling is a serious public health problem that is both treatable and preventable. MNAPG efforts helps individuals, families and communities address the devastating effects of problem gambling.

International News — Could Denmark’s Practices Work Here?

International News — Could Denmark’s Practices Work Here?

May 18, 2022 | HEALTHY PLAY, PROBLEM GAMBLING

MNAPG Northern Light Spring 2022

In Denmark, the Ministry of Taxation will require mandatory players’ cards beginning July 1, 2022. This will eliminate the ability for a player to bet anonymously. Danish authorities hope it will reveal gaming patterns as a means of detecting signs of money laundering or match fixing. It will also prohibit players under the age of 18 from placing a bet, notify whether a player has voluntarily self-excluded from gambling, or if they have exceeded their self-set spending limit before a wager is made. While the impetus behind this regulation is to reduce crime, tools such as these show promise in identifying players who can’t keep to their spending limits before they’re betting gets out of hand.

Would U.S. players welcome the opportunity to have easy access to their own records, which might include the amount of money they’ve spent, won, and lost, and the time they’ve spent gambling? Would they be willing to set limits, and how often they adhered to the limits? We would like to think so, and thus have added these components to MNAPG’s regulatory list for online sports betting. Until we know more about when the sports betting legislation passes and the form that it takes, it’s hard to say how much influence MNAPG can have in shaping these important responsible gambling regulations.

Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines Developed

Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines Developed

Feb 23, 2022 | HEALTHY PLAY, PROBLEM GAMBLING

The Canada Centre on Substance Use and Addiction has commissioned a first-of-its-kind study and accompanying guidelines to lower the risk of gambling harms. See an overview below. Read the full study here.

Responsible gambling guidelines often dictate that gamblers set personal gambling limits to avoid gambling-related harm to themselves and others. While there are now more tools available to help gamblers to set limits, the limit-setting advice is typically general and non-quantitative, in contrast to other public health areas, such as drinking alcohol or food. A common responsible gambling slogan is: “set a limit and stick within it.”

To help provide gamblers and those who seek to establish responsible gambling programs, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction developed lower-risk gambling guidelines based on scientific evidence. The guidelines are appropriate for those who implement programs aimed at reducing gambling-related harms or promoting public health. They provide consistent, evidence-informed advice and messaging about how to gamble in a lower-risk manner.

The guidelines, detailed on gamblingguidelines.ca, specifically address three aspects of gambling: how much, how often and how many?

How much
The guidelines suggest that gamblers not bet more than 1% of their pre-tax household income.

How often
It’s recommended that gamblers not gamble more than four times per month, which is roughly once a week.

How many
Those who gamble on a regular basis should not play more than two types of games.

However, the guidelines caution that special risk populations and contextual factors play a role. The limits may not be appropriate for individuals experiencing problems from alcohol, cannabis or other drug use, those with anxiety or depression, and those with a personal family history of gambling problems or substance use disorders.

Other considerations

The type of gambling games one plays makes a difference. Fast-paced games that involve frequent betting can more quickly lead to problems. With slot machines, electronic gaming machines, poker and many online forms of gambling, people can spend a lot of money in a short time.

It’s also important to consider why someone gambles. Is it for fun? Those gambling to escape life problems are more likely to experience harm from gambling and might find it difficult to gamble within the suggested guidelines.

The source for information in this article was gamblingguidelines.ca.

Translate »