“Winning” by design: Deceptive UX patterns and sports betting apps
Daily fantasy sports app are legal in U.S. states that outlaw gambling, but apply UX practices that coax users into playing more at their own expense.
Do you know anyone who may be a little too into online sports betting?
Their involvement in sports betting may seem self-destructive, but it’s not entirely their fault. Creators of these sports betting apps (like PrizePicks) intentionally use the compulsiveness of gambling and mislead users with deceptive UX patterns.
How is this legal in illegal U.S. states?
I live in 1 of 12 U.S. states where sports betting is illegal (Georgia). Through loopholes, some gambling apps have found a way to be legal.
These loopholes are driven by how gambling apps frame themselves. Instead of framing the app as “sports betting,” they frame it as “daily fantasy.”
The main reason why “daily fantasy” is legal is because it’s based on skill versus luck.
Deceptive UX patterns in PrizePicks
Mandatory parlay and legs
To create a “daily fantasy” bet in PrizePicks, you must create a parlay.
A parlay is a collection of bets made up of at least 2 legs (or individual bets). In order for a parlay to win, all of its legs must win.
But you can’t select the specific value of the leg—you can only select “more” or “less.” You can’t see the parlay’s payout (or “odds”) until you’re ready to submit; so when you’re selecting legs, you have no idea of its monetary value.
AKA, you’re at mercy of the gambling app.
Promo codes
There’s a catch to using a promo code to get $300 to use in PrizePicks.
Say you upload $100 to PrizePicks in addition to the “free” $300, so you have $400 to spend. Then, you spend $100 on a parlay, and make a profit of $50.
Now, you want to take the $150 out of PrizePicks, but can’t. First, you must spend the “free” $300 to take any profit you made out of the app. This is mentioned in PrizePicks’ “Withdrawing funds FAQ”.
This heightens the risk since you must make more bets, which may cause you to lose more (and become addicted).
Misleading language and overstating your wins
PrizePicks represents safe and risky bets through “goblins and demons.”
Green goblins (good) and show the user safe, low-gain bets, while red demons (bad) show risky, high-gain bets. The green goblins can go haywire and cause the user to lose, but they’re still applied to encourage the user to make a “safe” bet.
Your PrizePicks’ profile shows what you’ve earned using the app—not your gross profit. You may have won $400 while playing on the app, but may have lost $600.
So you’re shown you won $400, but you’re at a gross profit of -$200. This misleads the user in thinking they’re winning, when they’re not.
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Do you use any sports gambling apps?
Or would you try any after reading this article?
Share your experiences in the comments! 👇
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