March is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month, but for Lori Kalani, DraftKings' Chief Responsible Gaming Officer, it doesn’t start and end with a time synonymous with college basketball.
“It’s not just March,” Kalani told Covers on Friday “It’s really not a once-a-month messaging campaign. It’s all the time, every day, continuing to beat that drum so we’re really able to create a culture where everyone understands that it’s good habits, it’s the way people should think about their gaming…so people can have a good time.”
DraftKings is one of many operators raising awareness for an area that helps protect customers from problem gambling during one of the busiest sports months of the year.
“It’s super exciting. A lot of games, a lot of teams, it’s really rapid fire so it’s super important that every player understands that responsible gaming is for everyone,” Kalani said. “It’s not just for some people. Everybody should think about their place through that responsibility lens.”
Earlier this week, trade industry group the American Gaming Association estimated bettors will legally bet $3.1 billion on the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments, more than double projections from the last Super Bowl.
“March Madness is one of the most exciting times in American sports, with fans fired up for both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments,” AGA SVP of Strategic Communications Joe Maloney said. “As legal wagering expands across the U.S., more fans than ever have the opportunity to bet legally and responsibly.”
More than 130 games will be played with hundreds of betting markets available beginning next week. March Madness draws casual fans who aren’t as inclined to bet year-round.
Kalani suggests players set a gambling budget and stick to it, never chase losses, and manage how much time they spend on the app.
“The games are going to be there,” Kalani said. “Take a break when you need one.”
Using the tools
The AGA said 85% of players think deposit limits are effective while 78% endorse setting how much time they spend on betting apps. Another 77% back limiting as ways to encourage responsible play. That fits into DraftKings’ responsible gaming slogan: “It’s more fun when it’s for fun.”
Like many operators, the sportsbook has resources and tools available to do that. DraftKings found particular success with My Stat Sheet, a comprehensive, easy-to-understand snapshot of how much time and money players spend on the app. The feature received 13 million views since launching a year ago.
“They’ll see their play over the last week, month, year, entire time of account, how is their play trending, total wins, total losses, deposits,” Kalani said. “What we found is our players love that because knowledge is power. It helps them keep their game in check and then they can make adjustments using any of these tools that we have.”
Sportsbooks in many U.S. jurisdictions are required to make responsible gaming features like these easy to find and access. DraftKings encourages customers to visit RG.draftkings.com to see the various ways they can set time and money limits.
“We want to see people have a good time,” Kalani said. “We don’t want to see anything negative happen and we want to make sure our business is doing that in a really customer-friendly way.”
Doing more
There is so much that goes into the messaging, framing, and resources to combat problem gambling. DraftKings works daily with regulators in legal betting states with one goal in mind.
DraftKings was the first industry operator to commit a chief position to responsible gaming.
“We’re really proud of that and I think it’s a testament to how important DraftKings takes this topic,” Kalani said. “I report directly to the CEO so this is top down to make sure that everything we do at DraftKings is aligned with our responsible gaming mission.”
The online operator was also the first to invest millions of dollars in state council funds around the U.S., both in markets it operates and ones it doesn’t. DraftKings is releasing an ad campaign this month in collaboration with the NFL and NBA encouraging customers to always bet responsibly.
Responsibility evolution
Sports betting exploded nationally since the Supreme Court overturned PAPSA in 2018 and states could decide if they wanted to legalize and regulate wagering. Bettors bet a record $13.7 billion in the U.S. in 2024.
With 38 states and Washington, D.C., currently offering sports betting, informing, monitoring, and offering customers responsible gaming has evolved.
Kalani said DraftKings learned how to innovate its practices and work with state regulators. Messaging to players is more proactive, personalized, and diversified.
“This is not a job that will ever be over,” Kalani said. “As long as we’re growing as a company and scaling, we will scale our responsible gaming program.”
