2026-09-19 / Signal #5
DraftKings trained AI to find the gamblers most likely to lose
“The model’s best customer was the person it could hurt.”
The Story
The Times, using internal memos, Slack, and more than 40 former employees, reports DraftKings built a model to score which customers would respond to promotions by gambling — and losing — more. An internal line of logic: “the best investment would be a problem gambler.” The same company stalled similar tools that might have predicted addiction.
Why It Matters
Money, identity, and institutions. Not “AI in sports.” A company whose profit is other people’s losses pointed the model at the people who would lose hardest, then declined to point it at harm.
Evidence
New York Times investigation, published Sept 19
Sources
Daily scan: 2026-09-19