False promises in fantasy sports gambling
People who play fantasy sports, by selecting a make-believe team of real players from different teams, know they are dealing in fantasy. The teams don鈥檛 exist. But they might be hard-pressed to know what is real if they also place bets on their made-up teams on websites such as DraftKings and FanDuel.
The two online sites have made bold promises of winning. 鈥淛ust pick your sport, pick your players, and pick up your cash!鈥� stated one DraftKings ad. A FanDuel ad claimed, 鈥淎nybody can play, anybody can succeed.鈥�
Now these claims are being challenged in a New York courtroom 鈥� and by the companies themselves.
In a lawsuit seeking to close down the sites鈥� operations in the state, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says that placing money on fantasy sports is really gambling, as each wager relies on a 鈥渇uture contingent event not under [the bettor鈥檚] control or influence.鈥� Yet the two companies argue that the wagers depend mainly on skill, such as knowing each player鈥檚 talents and record, rather than on chance. As proof, however, they point out how few people actually make money. (More than 85 percent of players using the site fail to win.) In making such a case, they have exposed their own advertising deceit and support the state鈥檚 charge that the ads create a false perception that betting on fantasy sports 鈥渋s eminently winnable.鈥�
Casinos and state lotteries long ago learned not to advertise a guarantee of winning. The gaming industry relies on an illusion of luck but the business itself must operate on the reality of integrity and truthfulness in advertising. Few gambling operations would dare run an ad like this one for DraftKings: 鈥淭his is the feeling of turning a game you love into a lifetime of cash.鈥�
The two websites face other lawsuits in court, some brought by people who cite the deceptive advertising. And New Jersey鈥檚 two senators have asked the Federal Trade Commission to look into the sites鈥� relationship with professional sports leagues.
The FTC requires that any ads clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. Gambling companies that rely on customers trying to win money from either the spin of a roulette wheel or the bounce of a football should not rely on ads full of illusions.聽
