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Dane Miller claims DraftKings should have known he exhibited signs of being a degenerate gambler after he opened his account in 2020
After gambling away his entire wedding savings and attempting suicide, Miller placed his name on Illinois' gambling self-exclusion list
A 32-year-old groom-to-be is suing the popular sports betting app DraftKings after he managed to gamble away his entire wedding fund.
The case was filed in a Chicago federal court.
Dane Miller, who opened his wagering account in 2020, claims the company should have known the obvious signs he had a gambling problem. Instead, he says, they accelerated his addiction by eliminating safeguards while disingenuously “touting a commitment to ‘responsible gaming.’”
The Independent, which first broke this story, reviewed the complaint.
“DraftKings quickly realized the potential in Miller and crowned him as a VIP in May 2021,” Miller’s complaint contends. “As a VIP, DraftKings showered Miller with many lucrative ‘perks’ including but not limited to promotions, profit boosts, free bets, DK cash, deposit matches and tickets to professional sporting events.”
He eventually gambled away his wedding savings and he then lost his job.
The complaint also alleges that Miller was sent five separate $200 sportsbook credits by DraftKings to lure him back two weeks before he attempted suicide.
The Independent notes that Miller would eventually go on to successfully complete an intensive outpatient treatment program back in December. He also entered his name on Illinois’ self-exclusion list.
As for the wedding, it still happened and Miller is now happily married with a newborn son.
“He’s in recovery, and has been now for many months,” Attorney Yvonne Flaherty said of her client in an interview with the Independent. “He’s working on his family, he has regained employment, but all of those things took time to repair. It’s an ongoing process.”
DraftKings is no stranger to lawsuits from gamblers. Some have been class action suits.
Examples include a New Jersey family lawsuit alleging DraftKings failed to stop a man who lost nearly $1 million on the site after stealing much of that money from his spouse and kids.
A New York federal lawsuit claimed DraftKings’ VIP program targeted gambling addicts.
A Massachusetts class action over a “$1,000 Deposit Bonus” promotion was granted permission to move forward by a court in that commonwealth. Draftkings is headquartered in Massachusetts.
The city of Baltimore even sued DraftKings last May accusing the sportsbook of engaging in deceptive and unfair practices to target and exploit vulnerable gamblers. FanDuel was also named in that suit.
DraftKings has denied any wrongdoing in most of the cases brought against it.
In response to the Baltimore case, DraftKings said: it believes "the City's claims are without merit" and vowed to "defend ourselves vigorously."
With regard to the VIP program allegations, they state: ""Loyalty programs are common across many industries and our rewards program is aligned with best practices across industries."
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
