– Updated on July 9, 2025
Betting online can be fun. However, it can quickly spiral into a problem if you become addicted to it. Filing a lawsuit against an online gambling app is complex. In most cases, you need to be able to prove that the app knew you had a gambling problem and that it exploited it.
Filing a Lawsuit Against a Gambling App
The steps for filing a lawsuit against a gambling app include:
- Identifying the liable party(s)
- Gathering evidence of the platform’s (e.g., FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook) wrongdoing
- Establishing your argument (e.g., exploitation of your addiction, false advertising, deceptive marketing practices, allowing people not legally allowed to gamble to use their sites, violation of your state’s fraud act, or failing to follow its own policy)
- Building a case against them
- Filing a complaint per your state’s guidelines
Your first step should be to speak with an attorney about your options. This process is difficult to manage without legal experience. Our co-counsels can handle every aspect for you, building a robust case against the app.
Suffered Online Gambling Addiction?
Proving the Gambling App Exploited Your Addiction
This is easier said than done. However, your gambling addiction attorney can investigate your situation and find proof that the platform knew you were facing trouble and took advantage of you. Signs of potential gambling addiction include:
- Depositing well beyond your means
- Asking to close your account
- Spending several hours each day on the platform
- Reaching out about loans
- Reaching out about resources
- Saying you should stop gambling
Many of the gambling addiction lawsuits that have been filed against online gambling platforms allege that the companies engaged in deceptive practices and used their app data against users to exploit their problematic gambling. Some of the lawsuits claim:
- DraftKings knew that a user was gambling far beyond his means (300 percent of his yearly salary in 2022 and 440% of his salary in 2023) but failed to suggest any safeguards, according to the Washington Post. The man allegedly stole nearly $1 million from his wife’s and children’s savings accounts to fund his addiction.
- DraftKings knew that a user was struggling with her gambling. The plaintiff, a psychiatrist from Pennsylvania, alleges that she told her VIP host she should stop gambling, to which the host replied with thousands of dollars in free credits. When she later asked if the company gave out loans because she was having trouble paying her mortgage, the host sent her gambling help resources and asked if she was spending within her means. The woman did not respond to the host for almost a week and, in that time, received several emails enticing her to deposit more money into her account, per The Wall Street Journal.
- An ex-employee of the Jacksonville Jaguars who stole $22 million from the company sued for $250 million, alleging that DraftKings knew he was an employee of an NFL team and legally could not make bets. He also alleged that his personal VIP gambling host called him up to 100 times a day and plied him with $1.1 million in gambling credits.
Qualifying to File a Lawsuit Against a Gambling App
You may qualify to file a lawsuit against a gambling app if the following apply:
- You used one or more of the following betting apps:
- BetMGM
- Caesars Sportsbook
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- You signed up for these apps between the ages of 18 and 25.
- You are currently between the ages of 19 and 35.
- You have at least $50,000 in gambling debt, OR $25,000 in gambling debt and a history of attempting suicide due to your gambling addiction. If your loved one had $25,000 in gambling debt and committed suicide because of their gambling disorder, you may be able to file a lawsuit on their behalf.
- You have not filed for bankruptcy (if you did not attempt suicide or lose a loved one to suicide).
An attorney can help you determine whether you may qualify to file a gambling addiction lawsuit against a gambling app.
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Have Any Lawsuits Against Gambling Apps Been Successful?
These lawsuits are complicated to win (especially if you decide to handle them yourself).
However, as Tim Fong, addiction psychiatrist and co-director of UCLA’s Gambling Studies Program, stated, “The laws in any state regarding mobile sport betting and how it’s supposed to be done are so fuzzy and they change so quickly.” The laws could change in your state, making it easier to sue a gambling app for your or your loved one’s gambling addiction.
There have also been settlements awarded to gambling apps and online casinos in the past:
- U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik approved a settlement against DoubleDown Interactive LLC and International Game Technology PLC. The settlement, which totaled $415 million, ended a class action lawsuit against the gaming companies in 2023.
- In 2021, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ordered DraftKings to fund two different settlement options, one with 7,280,000 “DK Dollars” and another with $720,000.
- Zynga, an online casino, agreed to a $12 million class action settlement in 2022.
While these results do not promise an outcome to your gambling addiction case, they show that some of these cases have succeeded.
Get Help Filing a Lawsuit Against a Gambling App for Your Addiction
Holding a gambling app liable is not something that you want to attempt to handle on your own. Our team is ready to help. We can connect you with a gambling addiction attorney near you.
Call today to get started with The Goldwater Law Firm. Your attorney will handle your case on a contingency basis. That means you pay nothing upfront and only pay your attorney if you win.
The Goldwater Law Firm is on mission to help as many people as possible with the fierce, compassionate legal aid only The Gold Standard of Injury Law can offer. If you suffered serious side effects or were diagnosed with an illness because of a defective drug or product, or if you were injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, Attorney Bob Goldwater and the Goldwater Law Firm is ready to serve as your compassionate partner in the fight to seek the compensation and justice you deserve.
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