How Betting App Push Notifications Fuel Gambling Addiction

Downloading a betting or casino app on your phone exposes you to frequent push notifications that can be specifically designed to trigger habitual gambling behavior.

Gambling firms design sports betting apps to be addictive. One of the ways they encourage habitual gambling is through push notifications, sometimes called push alerts. These notifications appear on your phone’s home screen, making it nearly impossible to miss or ignore the content.

Sports betting apps usually send notifications about so-called trending bets and promos, and sports news, with the ploy of having you make a bet.

Examples of Betting Push Notifications

In December 2025, the sports betting app Hard Rock Bet sent its users a push notification encouraging late-night gambling through a so-called “profit boost.”

In January 2026, the gambling app Polymarket promoted reckless high-stakes gambling with the following push notification.

Here is another recent example of a problematic push notification, illustrating the kind of messages betting apps send to encourage engagement. In June 2024, DraftKings sent its app users the following notification:

“The NYM [New York Mets] are 6-0 since Grimace threw out the first pitch!” the push notification read. “They’re -125 to make it 7 tonight. [Money bag emoji] Let’s go.”

Grimace, the McDonald’s mascot, had no relevance for game results. It was merely a coincidence that the Mets went on a winning streak after Grimace’s first pitch. The information about Grimace was irrelevant, but it was intended to make users think there was something at work here, that Grimace’s first pitch was good luck for the Mets. 

The notification was a desperate attempt to capture user attention and encourage them to open the DraftKings app.

Why Gambling Apps Send Push Notifications

A core reason is to create a sense of FOMO (the fear of missing out).

Other examples of push notifications include alerting users when there’s a record jackpot up for grabs or when the odds for a game change.

However, the “improved” line that the app alerts you to doesn’t necessarily mean the bet is good. Nearly all online gamblers lose, according to rigorous academic research.

Some betting content creators claim that enabling notifications is essential to winning. This advice is misleading at best. Sportsbooks never lose, while customers lose in the long run.

Another reason for push notifications is to send “mobile-specific offers which are not available elsewhere” (as one gambling content site put it). The deals can also be promoted by celebrities and star athletes, including LeBron James and James Harden.

AI-Powered Push Notifications

AI can allow gambling apps to personalize push notifications based on your past activity.

Hyper-specific/personalized offers can boost gambling more than generic offers.

Here’s an example of two hypothetical push notifications:

As one gambling industry insider described it: “Giving players a generic bonus is like handing them a catalog of movies with a giant ‘SEARCH’ button. It’s functional, but it builds zero loyalty. As soon as a competitor offers a lower price, they leave. True loyalty is built the Netflix way. Netflix doesn’t ask you to search; they serve you the exact show you want to watch before you even know you want it.”

AI can power hyper-personalized push notifications at scale and with accuracy. In other words, sportsbooks can “speak” to every single customer individually based on their actual gambling history. It could encourage loss chasing.

How Push Notifications Encourage Addiction

Push notifications—especially from gambling apps—are engineered to create addictive user cycles through several psychological mechanisms. These design choices directly contribute to persistent gambling behavior.

In 2025, a leading sports betting lobbying group said it was normal for a sports bettor to check their app 10 or more times a day. That sounds like a compulsive use disorder.

Intermittent Reinforcement

Push notifications often arrive at unpredictable times, much like slot machines.

This randomness creates a sense of anticipation and excitement, making users more likely to check the app frequently.

In extreme cases, your brain can create imagined notifications that never actually arrived. It’s possible to hear phantom push alerts, which is a serious red flag.

Dopamine Release

Anticipating an app notification triggers dopamine. Each notification can trigger the brain’s “feel-good” neurotransmitter. There is nothing wrong with you if you start craving notifications.

This reward system reinforces the behavior of checking the app as users seek another dopamine hit.

Gambling in any form can produce high amounts of dopamine, so push alerts increase the risks of harm.

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

Notifications can create a sense of urgency or fear of missing important information, holiday gambling promotions, events, or social interactions. 

This drives users to check the app immediately to stay up to date. FOMO is a big reason why so-called “prediction” markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are potentially extremely addictive and destructive. These gambling apps allow you to “trade” on countless real-world events (i.e., the news).

As discussed, push notifications about betting odds can make users worry they’re missing out on something akin to a sale or discount at a brick-and-mortar store.

Habit Formation

This is related to the dopamine release. Over time, frequent notifications can condition users to develop a habit of checking the app regularly, even without conscious thought. You’re essentially on dangerous autopilot.

The more often a behavior is reinforced, the more automatic it becomes.

Engagement Metrics

App developers design notifications to maximize so-called user “engagement.” This is partly what drives extraordinary tech company valuations, as investors look for metrics such as monthly or daily active users.

In the tech dystopian world, engagement can be a euphemism for addiction.

Gambling app makers analyze data to understand what types of notifications keep users coming back, making the notifications more effective over time.

Personalization

Personalized notifications, tailored to the user’s interests and behavior, make the app feel more relevant and engaging. This increases the likelihood that users will respond to those pesky notifications.

By leveraging these psychological principles, push notifications can significantly boost user activity and create addictive behavior patterns.

There is great concern about how betting companies are using artificial intelligence to personalize communications, potentially making these messages more manipulative.

Summary: Betting App Push Notification Studies

GamblingHarm.org reviewed the latest academic research on gambling app push notifications.

Here are some interesting and key insights:

• Notifications function as “cues” that prompt gambling, even when users weren’t initially thinking about gambling.
• Notifications are especially risky when promoting “free bets” or time-sensitive offers.
• Users report they are more likely to place impulsive bets after receiving notifications.
• Problem gamblers are more likely to allow notifications and less likely to disable them.
• Frequency of betting increased significantly on days users received push notifications.
• Non-promo notifications (e.g., game start reminders) were linked to increased gambling.
• Push notifications can make it more difficult to quit gambling.

Read more: ‘Immediate access … everywhere you go’: a Grounded Theory Study of How Smartphone Betting Can Facilitate Harmful Sports Betting Behaviours Amongst Young Adults. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

Legislation to Address Betting App Push Notifications

Currently, 30 states have sanctioned online sports betting. Some of those states are considering bills to limit the predatory use of push notifications.

It’s generally a good policy idea to limit how sportsbooks target consumers.

MN Betting App Push Notification Ban

Minnesota is among the minority of states that do not permit online sports betting. 

Minnesota had yet to sanction the betting industry despite numerous proposals and hearings.

In the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions, Minnesota policymakers considered betting bills that proposed banning push notifications. They could incorporate the provision into future bills.

Here was the language of the Minnesota sports betting push notification ban:

“Mobile sports betting operators and mobile sports betting platform providers are prohibited from sending a message from a mobile sports betting application or website that appears on a user’s device while the application or website is inactive unless the message is sent to notify the user of potentially fraudulent activity associated with the user’s mobile sports betting account.”

Critics of online sports betting have praised this provision.

However, legalizing online sports betting is never a good policy idea. 

Read more: Sports Betting Addiction Statistics

NY’s Gambling Push Notification Ban

In 2025, a New York legislative proposal sought to ban artificial intelligence-powered push notifications from betting apps. New York is the largest sports betting market in the U.S.

Senate Bill S5537 would ban notifications and texts from companies like FanDuel and DraftKings.

“With AI enhancing the ability of gaming companies to collect data and specifically target consumers, addictions will only get worse as time goes on,” said a bill memo. “Constant reminders of gambling opportunities through push notifications are one of the key ways betting apps ensure they have a large number of addicted customers.”

Betting Push Notifications FAQ

How Do I Stop Getting Gambling Push Notifications?

To stop getting gambling push notifications, follow these steps depending on your device and app. Disabling these notifications can reduce triggers and help prevent compulsive gambling.

On iPhone (iOS)

• Go to Settings > Notifications
• Scroll to the gambling app
• Tap it and toggle “Allow Notifications” to off

On Android

• Go to Settings > Apps 
• Choose the gambling app
• Tap Notifications
• Toggle all types of notifications off

Should Gambling Push Notification Be On or Off?

Push notifications are not necessary to bet on sports. They should be off if you want to increase your enjoyment of sports betting and reduce your risks of addiction.

Do Most People Turn Off Gambling Push Notifications?

Most people keep push notifications on, because it can be slightly confusing to turn them off. Betting apps prompt you to allow push notifications, which in turn encourages their use. You can resist the predatory push notifications from the betting app you use.

How Do I Know If My Betting App Push Notifications Are On?

You can check your phone’s settings to see if your betting app push notifications are on or off. If the notifications are on, you will soon realize it, as sports betting apps love to harass users with these alerts.