How Betting App Push Notifications Fuel Addiction

Having a betting app on your phone is risky, especially if you enable push notifications from the sportsbook.

Gambling firms design sports betting apps to be addictive, and one of the ways they encourage habitual gambling is through what are known as push notifications.

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

Let’s examine a recent example of a problematic push notification.

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.”

This article will explain why push notifications are bad for consumers.

Why Gambling Apps Send Push Notifications

Let’s note that 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 designed 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.

Other examples of push notifications include alerting users 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.

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 predatory gambling content site put it).

The betting apps aim to create a sense of FOMO, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.

How Push Notifications Encourage Addiction

Push notifications from many types of apps, but especially gambling apps, can create a cycle of addiction to the app through several psychological mechanisms:

Intermittent Reinforcement

Push notifications often arrive at unpredictable times, much like the operation of 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.

Dopamine Release

Anticipation of an app notification is tied to dopamine. Each notification can trigger a release of dopamine, the brain’s “feel-good” neurotransmitter.

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

Gambling itself also produces high amounts of dopamine.

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

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

This drives users to check the app immediately to stay up-to-date.

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

Habit Formation

Over time, frequent notifications can condition users to develop a habit of checking the app regularly, even without conscious thought.

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

Engagement Metrics

App developers design notifications to maximize so-called user “engagement.”

In the tech 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 notifications.

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

There is great concern that betting app companies will utilize artificial intelligence to make communications more targeted to a single individual, potentially making them more manipulative.

Summary: Betting App Push Notification Studies

Gambling Harm 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 particularly risky when they promote “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.

MN Betting App Push Notification Ban

As of mid-2025, Minnesota was among the minority of states that did 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.

NY’s Gambling Push Notification Ban

In 2025, a legislative proposal in New York sought to ban betting app push notifications. 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.”

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.

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