Sports fans have sued online gambling sites DraftKings and FanDuel, claiming they lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to the “addictive” product, according to a new lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Tuesday, alleges DraftKings and FanDuel, with game and player data supplied by the NFL and its betting data specialist partner Genius Sports, “intentionally and defectively designed their online sports gambling platforms to turn a known addictive product into a relentless, always-on addiction-amplifying machine.”

Online sports betting has dramatically changed the gambling industry in recent years. Instead of traveling to a sports betting parlor and placing a wager before a game starts, gamblers can now place bets on their phones as the game plays out in real-time.

The lawsuit claims this new live microbetting can “hijack gamblers’ brains and keep them immersed in ceaseless betting action.”

Online sports betting caused plaintiffs Christopher Sage and Terry Thompson to develop severe gambling addictions, the suit alleges. Sage lost more than $170,300 on DraftKings and FanDuel. Thompson lost $1,856,000 on the sports betting platforms.

“We filed this case because the fundamental nature of sports gambling products has changed dramatically since they were legalized in Pennsylvania in November of 2018,” Mark Gottlieb, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told The Independent.

“Our clients are just two examples of sports fans and sports gamblers who have experienced substantial harm caused by these new and defectively designed sports microbetting products,” Gottlieb added.

The lawsuit claims DraftKings and FanDuel don’t just enable gamblers to place wagers anywhere and at any time, but have features “designed to drive customers toward microbetting.”

“FanDuel and DraftKings can collect and analyze detailed behavioral data about each of their customers. They then use this behavioral data to generate and market personalized gambling opportunities based on each customer’s unique wagering history and app usage,” the suit alleges.

DraftKings and FanDuel send personalized push notifications “designed to grab customers’ attention and lure them back” with these personalized gambling opportunities, according to the lawsuit.

“Within just a few years of placing their first microbets on the Sportsbook Apps, Plaintiffs nearly lost everything—their money, their houses, their business, their families, and, in Plaintiff Thompson’s case, also nearly lost his life,” the suit claimed.

Sage and Thompson are demanding a jury trial on their claims against the online sports betting platforms and the other defendants. The lawsuit seeks compensation for damages and to stop the defendants from continuing the alleged wrongful conduct.

“We seek justice for our clients and hope that their lawsuit ultimately helps prevent similar harm to other sports fans and their families,” Gottlieb told The Independent.

The Independent has reached out to the NFL, Genius Sports, DraftKings and FanDuel for comment.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling addiction, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET.

Lewis Hall is hoping he will have to miss a second summer of cricket as he chases his World Cup dream.

The Newcastle left-back has earned a first call-up under Thomas Tuchel for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

He will have the chance to earn a place in Tuchel’s squad for the summer tournament in North America, meaning he will be unavailable for a second successive year of village cricket for Berkshire club Binfield.

The 21-year-old skipped last season in order to focus on his recovery from injury but he is hoping to miss it for a much more positive reason this year.

“I didn’t play last summer because I was going through my injury and was so focused on that,” he said. “And I’m hoping I don’t get to play any cricket this summer either.

“I always played throughout my childhood, like a lot of my friends who did. It’s always been a good social thing for me.

“Although I’m playing at the level I am now with my football, I’m always the same person.

“So if I was playing cricket at eight years old, even though I’m playing football now, I don’t see a reason to stop. I enjoy spending time with my mates.

“I wouldn’t say I’m great. A decent enough village player. I was a bit of an all-rounder when I was younger. Now, I’m more of a batter.”

Hall was handed his debut during Lee Carsley’s temporary reign in 2024 but he has now rejoined a fierce battle for the left-back spot, which has seen Myles Lewis-Skelley, Tino Livramento and Nico O’Reilly contest a place in Tuchel’s side.

He has used his time away from the group as a learning mission to hit the ground running upon his return.

“I’ve always watched the England games, especially the ones in September. I always had the aim to be here in the camp now,” he said.

“I wanted to watch and absorb the style that the team plays.

“So if I’m selected, I should have a bit more of an understanding of the way the team wanted to play. I was able to take some information in and store it.”

File image of Kylian Mbappe.© Getty

Along with the rest of the Netflix crew, Barry Bonds made his MLB streaming debut with the service for the MLB Opening Night game between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

The MLB all-time home run leader be working as an analyst for the Netflix pre- and post-game shows this season, and he also made an appearance in the booth during the sixth inning.

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During that interview alongside Matt Vasgersian, CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence, Bonds recalled an interesting story about his free agency following the 1992 season, when he left the Pittsburgh Pirates for the Giants.

The Yankees were one of Bonds’ other suitors at the time, and he claims it wasn’t money that ended up pushing him away from the Bronx. He said it was Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Bonds’ recollection:

“George isn’t here anymore, so I can tell the truth. I would have been a Yankee, but Steinbrenner got on the phone and he called us. They told me, ‘Barry, we’re going to give you the money’ — the highest-paid player at that time — ‘but you have to sign the contract by 2 o’clock this afternoon.’

“I said, ‘Excuse me?’ And I just hung the phone up. I went to go get lunch and Dennis Gilbert, my agent, was like, ‘Do you know what you just did?’ I’m like, ‘Do you know what he just said?’ By the time I walked down the street to go get lunch — I said, ‘Let me just think about this’ — the Giants called me and I said, ‘I’m going home.’”

There are a few things going on in this story, so let’s take this one-by-one.

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• Bonds is apparently comfortable telling this story only because Steinbrenner is dead, which has been true since 2010.

• The Yankees were allegedly set on giving Bonds the largest contract in MLB, but supposedly only if he would meet an arbitrary deadline to sign a contract the day they made the offer.

• George Steinbrenner supposedly reached out to Bonds personally, despite the fact he was quite famously banned from baseball from 1990 to 1993.

That latter point is certainly worth pondering. Steinbrenner accepted a lifetime ban from then-MLB commissioner Fay Vincent for paying a known gambler for dirt on Dave Winfield and wasn’t officially reinstated until March of 1993. Bonds signed with the Giants in December of 1992.

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So we have a case where either Bonds is lying/misremembering or Steinbrenner was openly shirking a ban from baseball to talk to the biggest free agent in baseball. You can be the judge on what’s most likely.

You can also choose whether to believe Bonds or the newspaper of record at the time. As The New York Times reported, the sticking point between Bonds and the Yankees wasn’t so much respect as the club’s refusal to add a year to their five-year, $36 million offer. The Yankees reportedly gave him a two-day window to accept their offer and withdrew from the proceedings when he turned them down.

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As then-Yankees general manger Gene Michael explained:

“We wanted him and now it’s off,” Michael said in a phone interview from Tampa, Fla. “We’re going for pitching. Maybe it’s the right thing to do. We will not have Barry Bonds with a sixth year.”

“We have to draw the line somewhere … I have no regrets saying we did not offer him a sixth year. We offered him a fantastic contract for five years. We really went out of our way to make a nice offer.”

The article does not mention Steinbrenner.

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The Giants ended up giving Bonds that sixth year on a then-record $44 million contract and kept him through 2007. In return, they received some spectacular baseball, then spectacular scandal.

Among those individuals is Tyrone Holmes, who was appointed Wales’ new defence coach after three years in the same role with Scotland.

Lynn says he has been very impressed with the South Africa-born former flanker and expects to see a “big improvement” in that area, especially with Holmes being full-time.

“It’s what we will be needing to be competitive,” said Lynn, who admits his side were “bullied off the park” in their World Cup opener against Scotland.

Brython Thunder coach Ashley Beck will attempt to revive Wales’ stale attack, while Exeter Chiefs head coach Steve Salvin will be working with the forwards on an interim basis.

“It’s new voices, new faces and big energy,” said Lynn.

“What we’re going after is that consistency, every coach who’s coming in is making sure that we are following the process.

“I want us to be more hard-working, competitive, and when you’re in those competitive games and you find those winning moments, those game-changing moments, that’s where I feel this team can grow.”

Former world champion Keith Thurman, who fought Manny Pacquiao in 2019, has offered his take on the Filipino’s rematch with Floyd Mayweather.

The two Hall of Famers will square off in a professional contest on September 19, headlining a Netflix event at the Sphere, Las Vegas.

Their first encounter took place in 2015 and, even back then, many believed that both multi-division world champions were a far cry from their primes.

Pacquiao, in particular, seemed to lack the explosive power and speed he once possessed in spades, with Mayweather ultimately claiming a unanimous decision victory.

But despite the disappointing nature of the fight itself, it is still, statistically, the most lucrative boxing event of all time, based purely on its eye-watering gate receipts and pay-per-view sales.

Because of this, Thurman believes that their second encounter is likely to generate considerable interest, especially with Mayweather putting 50-0 (27 KOs) record on the line.

In that same breath, though, the 37-year-old has told FightHype that he envisions their showdown being an even less appealing contest than it was the first time around.

“I think the story of [Mayweather-Pacquiao 2] is really the same story as always: Is today the day Floyd Mayweather loses in the ring?

“I think that’s a big selling point that certain people are going to want to see, but I didn’t see the same Manny Pacquiao [that Thurman fought] against Mario Barrios.

“But they’re both older, so I’m not sure what we’re going to get. But I believe we’re going to get lesser of a fight [when compared to their first encounter].”

After claiming a split decision victory over Thurman, Pacquiao lost a unanimous verdict to Yordenis Ugas and, just under four years later, boxed to a contentious draw against then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios last July.

Mayweather, meanwhile, has not fought professionally since 2017, back when he scored a 10th-round finish over Conor McGregor.