Online betting companies lavish losers with rewards while capping winners

October 26, 2026 / 8:41 AM EDT / CBS News

As greater scrutiny is falling on online sports betting companies for the way they offer extravagant perks to customers who are losing large sums of money, there is another question emerging about this fast-growing industry: how the companies treat their biggest winners.

States and state lawmakers have raised questions about a practice called "limiting" — a tactic sports betting platforms use to apply the brakes to gamblers who are having too much success.

"They have to ensure that the house always wins," claims Brianne Doura-Schawohl, the director for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling. "I would argue it's not fair, and what makes it more unfair is all of the pervasive advertising tells us all that we can win."

Last week, a group of U.S. lawmakers wrote to the major gambling platforms to express concerns about the exploitation of vulnerable bettors by granting frequent losers VIP status.

"The dangling of perks — which include access to exclusive events, videos from celebrities and athletes, and tickets to the Super Bowl — distract bettors from their financial losses and encourage betting when they otherwise would not," the letter said.

Big winners, however, sometimes…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/