Sports betting apps continue to resemble slot machines, and DraftKings’ new feature, “Moonshot,” is the latest example of the broader “microbetting” shift.
Moonshot follows the controversial launch of “DraftKings Replay,” another slot-like game tied to baseball.
People can now bet more quickly and continuously in ways that past sportsbook products did not enable, further blurring the line between sports gambling and the one-armed bandits known as slot machines.
Microbetting has helped make sports betting products extraordinarily addictive these days. A flagship annual betting survey from the Siena Research Institute found that 60% of online sports bettors chase their losses.
Consequently, legal sports betting is increasingly unpopular.
What is DraftKings Moonshot
Moonshot allows a user to place a bet before an upcoming MLB plate appearance and select a target payout multiplier. The value of the wager can rise as different events occur during the at-bat or sequence of qualifying outcomes. A double, for example, multiplies the potential payout by 2.
The user can cash out before reaching the target, allowing them to exit the wager early. The bet ends as a loss if an out is recorded before the user reaches the chosen multiplier or exits the wager.
The cash-out mechanic introduces a form of tension familiar from online casino products, sometimes called crash games. In these games, the potential reward grows until the player exits or an adverse event ends the round.
DraftKings described Moonshot as a way to bring a “fun multiplier mechanic” to live MLB betting. The company said Moonshot would initially roll out across 17 states alongside Ontario, Canada.
“Moonshot adds to the excitement of betting on a live MLB game, bringing a fun multiplier mechanic to the action,” DraftKings Chief Product Officer Corey Gottlieb said in the announcement. “We’re always looking for ways to make live sports more engaging for our customers.”
Moonshot is not literally a slot. Its results depend on events during a real baseball game. But the user experience feels like a slot machine.
Bigger Picture
Sports have become the backdrop for the slot-machinification of betting apps, and Moonshot is one more sign of that shift.
Of course, DraftKings is not alone here, as rivals such as FanDuel and Hard Rock Bet have also turned sports into slot-like games. The result has been a U.S. sports betting market that reached nearly $17 billion in 2025.
Sportsbook apps increasingly attempt to keep users engaged for longer. The reason is simple: the more you play, the more you lose. Push notifications are another strategy to bring users back for more and more.
Researchers have warned for many years that online betting technology transforms sports wagering from a slower-paced, thoughtful activity into a more continuous form of gambling.