ProPublica

ProPublica reporter Jake Pearson lost $10,000 betting on DraftKings while imitating the behaviour of a problem gambler to test the company's responsible gaming protections. Within a week he was invited to become a VIP, and he encountered little pushback as his losses mounted. The investigation suggests DraftKings' safeguards may fail to protect vulnerable gamblers, drawing widespread attention to the platform's practices.

A ProPublica investigation reports that a reporter who intentionally gambled like someone with a serious problem was nonetheless courted by DraftKings as a VIP customer. Despite the company's "responsible gaming" tools and prompts, the reporter found they were no match for the incentives and product design encouraging continued betting. The story lands amid growing public health concerns over sports gambling in the United States and scrutiny of how operators treat at-risk players.

A ProPublica report claims an FBI anti-corruption investigation into campaign donations linked to Senator Susan Collins and defense contractor Navatek was curtailed after Trump took office. The story alleges investigators were examining contributions tied to the company before the probe stalled. Hacker News commenters are discussing the reporting, sharing the article and debating what it says about the FBI, political interference, and campaign finance enforcement. The full details and the article's sourcing are not fully clear from the post snippets alone.