A new report from the National Consumers League (NCL) is sounding the alarm on how sports betting companies use smartphone push notifications to aggressively market their services, raising concerns over consumer protection and public health.
Based on a four-week study of more than 100 push alerts from FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM, the NCL found that 93% of the notifications contained advertisements, with 62% of them using direct calls to action like “bet now.”
Key Takeaways
- The National Consumers League found that 93% of push alerts from top sports betting apps are ads.
- The report links push notification marketing to spikes in domestic violence, bankruptcy, and increased suicide risk among people with gambling disorders.
- NCL is supporting legislation like the SAFE Bet Act and various state-level bills aimed at restricting or banning push notifications.
The NCL report “focuses on sports betting apps and how they use smartphone notifications to advertise to consumers.” After concluding the study, the NCL argues that push alerts from sportsbooks are far more invasive than traditional ads, reaching consumers in their homes, workplaces, and even late at night.
“Sports betting is not a typical product or service. These companies are not selling shoes or T-shirts. They are aggressively advertising their platforms for gambling, an activity that has well-documented addictive and harmful effects, from increased rates of suicide and intimate partner violence to an elevated risk of bankruptcy,” said Eden Iscil, NCL’s senior public policy manager.
New data fuels legislative efforts
The NCL cited data showing a 10% increase in intimate partner violence after team losses in households with sports bettors, as well as 28–30% spikes in bankruptcy rates in states that legalized online betting. The report also pointed to higher suicide risk among people with gambling disorders, noting that frequent, targeted push notifications exacerbate harm.
“Imagine if a tobacco company sends a text every day, multiple times a day, to encourage you to smoke their cigarettes. That is basically what sports betting apps are doing,” Iscil added.
In response, NCL is backing several legislative measures. These include:
- The SAFE Bet Act in Congress, which would restrict push notifications, AI-generated betting promotions, and late-night ads.
- The Regulating Addictive Notifications Act, which would ban push and text ads for betting.
- New Jersey’s Assembly Bill A5207, which would restrict all internet-based gambling ads.
The group is also urging the Federal Trade Commission to launch a formal investigation into these practices under laws prohibiting unfair or deceptive conduct.
The call for consent
Ultimately, NCL’s report presents a case that sports betting apps are exploiting a regulatory loophole in how they market to users. Unlike emails or texts, push notifications have no legal requirement for consent or opt-out options, making them an especially aggressive tool for promoting gambling.
Advocates like NCL are urging lawmakers and regulators to close this gap, warning that inaction could lead to increased rates of problem gambling, particularly among younger, tech-savvy users.
“The government regulates advertising on television, email, and text messages. But when it comes to push notifications, something that’s arguably more effective than each of those older mediums, there are no protections," Iscil said.
