Despite a growing online gambling addiction crisis in the U.S., FanDuel Sportsbook will soon debut a new feature called “Pass The Leg” for Thanksgiving NFL games.
The new in-app offering seeks to make parlay gambling “into a shared, social experience,” FanDuel said in a press release on Nov. 24, 2025.
The gimmick effectively encourages families to gamble together on the holiday. On average, six people around a person with a gambling addiction experience harm, usually the family, according to the World Health Organization.
“Gambling is a known addictive product,” said Dr. Harry Levant, Director of Gambling Policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute. “With this Thanksgiving promotion, FanDuel is again disregarding public health and compromising the safety of children and families.”
How Does ‘Pass The Leg’ on FanDuel Work?
In most states, the legal age to use FanDuel Sportsbook is 21, but some states allow sports gambling at 18.
FanDuel account holders can build a single group parlay “collaboratively,” with each participant adding their own leg before placing bets with their own money. FanDuel allows parlays with up to 25 individual components (i.e., legs).
Users can start or join a “Group Build” and invite others to contribute gambling picks. The feature allows users to then add the completed parlay to their personal “bet slip.”
FanDuel is also promoting a “Pass The Leg Profit Boost,” which could increase gambling winnings. So-called profit boosts can be dangerous gimmicks, and some U.S. policymakers want to crack down on them. FanDuel has also faced lawsuits over how it promotes its product.
The “Pass The Leg” promotion is available only for the three NFL games on Thanksgiving Day 2025.
Directly Targeting Families
On social media, a FanDuel ambassador stated plainly: “parlays but make it family-style.”
“Rather than asking grandparents, parents, children, and siblings to celebrate Thanksgiving by sharing moments of gratitude, FanDuel has callously encouraged families to gamble with the pleasure of the holiday by enticing everyone to engage in the pursuit of highly addictive same-game parlays,” Levant said. “We are left to wonder whether FanDuel wants mom and dad to make their parlay picks before, during, or after carving the turkey and saying grace.”
Why the Promotion Is Unusual
According to FanDuel, “Pass The Leg” is a first for the U.S. online gambling industry.
It’s unique because it allows multiple users to gamble on a single parlay. It’s unclear if users can be located in different states. FanDuel operates in dozens of states.
“FanDuel developed this feature to meet growing demand for more interactive and communal betting experiences, giving fans an easy, intuitive way to bring the group-chat banter directly into the app,” the company said.
A recent U.S. News survey found that 21% of sports bettors admit to severe anger issues in the form of verbal abuse.
“Pass The Leg is all about how our customers actually experience sports – together, sharing excitement, and creating memories around the games they love,” said Karol Corcoran, Managing Director, Sportsbook at FanDuel. “We listened to how fans were already collaborating in group chats and family gatherings, and built a feature that brings that natural social energy directly into their betting experience.”
Dangerous Social Pressure in ‘Pass The Leg’
FanDuel’s “Pass The Leg” feature and promotion could cause harm in numerous ways.
Research on gambling and social networks shows that potentially harmful behavior could be normalized through peer groups and shared betting rituals and myths.
Half of online sports bettors are experiencing some degree of harm, according to a recent U.S.-based study.
“Pass The Leg” might nudge people into betting so they don’t feel left out. A fear of missing out (popularly known as FOMO) can be a pitfall for many people who are reluctant to try sports gambling.
Loneliness is a reason why some people gamble online, but doing so to combat this feeling carries risks.
FanDuel Parlays Are Generally Bad Bets
Parlays are where sportsbooks really make their money. So, they are the worst bets for a user from a financial perspective. During the 2025 baseball season, FanDuel reported a record month of parlay hold against users.
In some U.S. markets, parlays generate a wildly disproportionate share of revenue—up to about two-thirds of win while making up roughly one-third of handle—with far worse odds for bettors than straight bets.
Designing a product that exists only as a multi-leg parlay on one of the biggest gambling days of the year is a revenue strategy. It’s not exactly giving consumers what they want.
The U.S. sports betting industry raked in $13.7 billion from Americans in 2024.
Bottom Line: Pass The Harm
FanDuel’s “Pass The Leg” feature formalizes peer pressure and group dynamics around large multi-leg parlays.
By inviting multiple people to contribute picks, the feature can make it socially uncomfortable to back out or bet smaller than the rest of the group.
Gambling addiction has significant stigma, and some people may not be able to understand why someone backs out of participating.
The built-in profit boost further nudges users toward bigger, longer parlays under the guise of a special deal.
Because the promotion is concentrated on a single day with heavy NFL viewership and family gatherings, it risks normalizing gambling as a central part of the holiday itself. This could be especially dangerous for younger relatives watching adults collaborate on “fun” long-shot bets.
“Just when we think the social irresponsibility of the gambling industry and its sports partners cannot go any lower, FD comes along with a promotion which proves the industry will never stop finding new ways to expose children and families to gambling,” said Levant, a co-founder of Families and Friends of Gamblers (FFOG). “This is corporate grooming at its worst.”
Does the NFL Support This?
The NFL has not commented publicly on the new FanDuel feature.
According to Levant, the NFL should distance itself from “Pass The Leg” parlay gambling.
“The National Football League is equally complicit unless it immediately denounces this promotion and severs financial ties with FD,” Levant said. “I call on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to act without delay.”
Sports Gambling Help
The growing popularity of sports gambling parlays will cause more people to be exposed to addiction.
You are not alone if you’ve developed an addiction to betting. You should consider talking to a therapist or counselor for help quitting gambling.
A gambling prevention or recovery coach could also help you or someone you know. Studies have shown that half of online bettors experience problems with their play.
Discover more from GamblingHarm.org
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