Warning: This article contains discussion of gambling addiction which some readers may find distressing.
An Illinois man has filed a lawsuit against DraftKings, alleging the betting company failed to intervene as he lost more than $2 million, including money set aside for his wedding, and later spiralled into a mental health crisis tied to compulsive gambling.
The complaint, filed in federal court in Chicago on June 24, says Dane Miller, 32, opened his DraftKings account in 2020 and initially gambled at a relatively low level before his betting escalated sharply. He accuses the sportsbook of recognising warning signs of problem gambling while continuing to encourage his play.
Miller claims DraftKings elevated him to VIP status in May 2021, giving him access to promotions, profit boosts, free bets, deposit matches and tickets to major sporting events.
The suit argues that DraftKings’ platform was designed to exploit reward pathways in the brain and that personalised algorithms kept bettors engaged by reinforcing a false sense of control, increasing loss aversion and encouraging people to chase losses instead of stepping in when addiction became apparent.
According to the complaint, Miller depleted the money he had saved for his wedding and then turned to credit card cash advances, personal loans and funds from his 401(k) retirement account to keep gambling. The filing says his employer learned in September 2024 how severe the problem had become and fired him. It also alleges that even after his wedding fund had been wiped out, his VIP host kept contacting him daily and at one point rewarded his “loyalty” with suite tickets at Soldier Field.
The complaint says Miller wrote a suicide note the following month and was later hospitalised because of severe suicidal thoughts. It also alleges that DraftKings sent him five separate $200 sportsbook credits just two weeks before that hospital admission. Miller says he relapsed almost immediately after leaving hospital and reinstalled the betting app within days.
The lawsuit arrives amid a broader wave of litigation targeting online sportsbooks and their marketing practices. In 2025, a separate federal class action in Illinois accused DraftKings of using ads, VIP programs and loyalty promotions to fuel gambling addiction, and in March 2026 a Pennsylvania federal judge dismissed a similar case, saying state law likely did not impose a duty on casinos and sportsbooks to police customers’ gambling habits.
Other recent cases have made comparable claims against DraftKings and rival platforms, reflecting growing scrutiny of how sportsbooks use app design, targeted offers and behavioural data to keep customers betting. The industry has also faced increasing regulatory pressure in the United States as states expand legal sports wagering while regulators and public health advocates debate how much responsibility operators should bear for problem gambling.
DraftKings has previously denied that its products or promotions are defective, and attorneys defending the company in related cases have argued that gambling is a voluntary activity and that adults are responsible for their own betting decisions.
Miller says he has since begun recovery, found work again and placed himself on Illinois’ self-exclusion list for gambling services. He says he hopes his case will warn others before they suffer similar consequences.
DraftKings has been approached for comment.
Please gamble responsibly. For help, support and advice about problem gambling, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline on 1-800-GAMBLER, 24/7.