DraftKings – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

DraftKings

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

app2021

WISE Score

4.8

App Store

Real-money sports betting app designed to maximize engagement and spending—absolutely not for kids, and questionable for adults.

DraftKings

app

Adults only 18+, 2021

WISE Score

4.8

App Store

Real-money sports betting app designed to maximize engagement and spending—absolutely not for kids, and questionable for adults.

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Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

Let's be crystal clear: DraftKings is a gambling app, full stop. It's not 'fantasy sports,' it's not 'sports entertainment'—it's real-money betting designed to keep you engaged and spending.

The web research paints a damning picture: described as 'predatory,' with serious concerns about marketing to addicts and posing risks to young adults. Customer reviews are scathing. This isn't some pearl-clutching moral panic—gambling addiction is real, financially devastating, and these apps are engineered to maximize it.

For parents: this should be treated like any other adult-only vice. Lock it down, keep it away from kids, and if your teens are seeing the constant barrage of DraftKings ads during sports broadcasts, use it as a teaching moment about how gambling companies profit from addiction.

The WISE score is rock-bottom because this has no place in a conversation about quality media for families. It's an adult gambling product with documented harms.

Age Fit

This is exclusively for adults 21+ (18+ in select states). It should never be accessible to children or teens. Even for adults, gambling apps carry significant financial and mental health risks. Parents should keep this app password-protected and discuss gambling risks openly with teens who are exposed to sports betting marketing.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

DraftKings is a real-money gambling app that normalizes betting culture and financial risk-taking. The app's marketing language ('The Crown Is Yours,' emojis, hype language) glamorizes gambling as entertainment rather than presenting it as the high-risk financial activity it is. While it includes responsible gambling helplines, the core experience promotes behavior that can lead to addiction, financial harm, and emotional distress.

Imaginative

There is zero creative or imaginative component to sports betting. Users are consuming existing sports content and placing financial bets on predetermined outcomes. No building, creating, exploring, or original thinking involved—just predictive gambling on real-world events with real money at stake.

Safe

This is a real-money gambling app with documented predatory practices. Web search results describe it as 'evil, predatory app that markets to addicts' and note it 'poses serious risks for teens and young adults.' The app uses aggressive marketing, promotional bonuses with complex terms, and is designed to encourage compulsive betting behavior. Customer reviews cite 'horrible' service. The 21+ age restriction (18+ in some states) exists because gambling is inherently unsafe for developing brains. Even for adults, gambling apps like this are engineered for maximum engagement and spending.

Enriching

Sports betting does not build meaningful skills, knowledge, or personal growth. While users might claim it makes sports 'more interesting,' it actually shifts focus from athletic achievement and strategy to financial outcomes. The only 'skill' being developed is understanding betting odds, which serves no enriching purpose beyond further gambling. The app teaches nothing about sports analysis, statistics in a meaningful way, or critical thinking—just how to place increasingly complex bets.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

It won't be great for your kids because this is a gambling app for adults only
For adults who already gamble responsibly: offers live betting on major sports
Includes responsible gambling helplines and age verification (though enforcement varies)
Legal and regulated in two dozen+ U.S. states

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What to Watch For

This is real-money gambling—users can and do lose significant amounts of money
Predatory design: promotional bonuses, complex terms, and features engineered to encourage continued betting
Research shows sports betting apps pose serious addiction risks, especially for young adults
Customer reviews describe poor service and difficulty withdrawing funds
Even with 21+ restrictions, teens in gambling-legal states are exposed to aggressive marketing
The 'kids mode available' flag in platform data is likely an error or refers to device-level parental controls—this app has no business being anywhere near children

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think gambling companies spend so much money on sports advertising?"
"What does it mean when someone has a gambling problem? How is it different from enjoying sports?"
"If you see ads for betting apps during games, what message are they trying to send?"
"Why do you think these apps are restricted to adults? What makes gambling risky?"

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