OPINION: Sportsbooks Need to Be Held Accountable for Limits

• Major sportsbooks have too much power when it comes to manipulating the market.
• Players have been received betting limits and had VIP invitations retracted because of their betting success.

LAS VEGAS – Sportsbooks are manipulating the gambling market by arbitrarily limiting bettors and stripping players of VIP status based on winning. Sportsbooks that limit “sharp” bettors who have a history of winning bets while allowing losing bettors to place wagers with no limits is predatory.

These major sportsbooks such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and other American sportsbooks claim that they have the rights to alter betting limits based on their own discretion. The main issue with this is that the sportsbooks aren’t being transparent with their decision.

Although it’s assumed that bettors are being limited because they have had success, the sportsbooks often limit them without explaining this and do so simply because they can.

Plenty of unsatisfied customers shared their displeasure with the popular sportsbook DraftKings in a twitter thread regarding the power these sportsbooks hold. One user shared text screenshots  between him and a DraftKings VIP Team member in which an offer was extended to join their long-term VIP Program because his “play shows clear VIP potential.”

Just 11 days later, DraftKings implemented a betting limit of $50 on the user and retracted their invitation to the VIP program. The explanation was that “Looks like its due to your recent success with us. Common in the industry for limits to be placed during recent success.”

The DraftKings member then went on to explain that “Due to that as well, you won’t be able to receive VIP benefits either.” DraftKings actions towards this bettor clearly shows that they don’t want successful gamblers in their VIP program, they want loyal ones who lose.

Unfair treatment towards successful bettors has led them to bet on legal online sportsbooks instead. Here, bettors won’t have to worry of ridiculous limits like $1.19, $0.50, or $10 that people in the twitter thread are experiencing.

The future of legal sports betting is in trouble if Gaming Commissions continue to allow sportsbooks to predate on inexperienced or poor gamblers without giving successful gamblers equal opportunities.

News tags: DraftKings | FanDuel | VIP Program