FanDuel gets its selling strategy from the experts

 

That is to say, they get their selling strategy from drug dealers.

1.  "The first one is free, kid!"  How do you get someone who isn't in to drugs to become a customer of your drugs?  Free samples. of course.  FanDuel goes one better and actually offers a financial incentive to reluctant consumers of sports who might still have a few brain cells to rub together.  You aren't really "betting" at all, you see- all the risk is on us (this time!)  Once you see how much fun it is, you'll never want to stop (and from our point of view, you won't be able to even if you want to.)  Which ties in nicely with....

2.  "It's all in good fun!"  Money is barely mentioned in ads for any gambling apps- sure, the "you could win and winning is the best" message is there, but the focus is on the excitement of winning, not on the cash itself.  You'll never hear any of the "winners" mention how they can now afford that new pair of HOKAs they've had their eyes on, or a piece of jewelry for their significant other- needless to say, you'll never hear anyone say anything like "yay I can buy food and pay rent this month" in response to a "win."  No, the excitement is presented as being the product of the bet itself, the fact that the player made the right choice at the right time.  Money isn't the reward- feeling like a winner is.  Kind of like getting high.  No, exactly like getting high.  Which brings me to the underlying message, which is....

3.  This is just another legal painkiller.  You should take drugs because pain is awful and life sucks and drugs dull the pain and help you ignore the fact that life sucks.  Maybe the most painful thing about life is that its kind of boring and predictable.  Since taking hard drugs is illegal and harmful to your health (and, despite what you see on TV, acquiring illegal drugs isn't super-easy for most Americans) a quick and easy and legal drug you can access without anyone's permission straight from your phone is Gambling.  For a few hours during a Sportsball Competition, you can experience escape from the monotony.  Some people do this by taking actual drugs. Others engage in rock climbing or mountain bike-riding or any number of adrenalin-pumping activities but let's face it, most of you aren't all that interested in stuff that requires moving around places that don't have access to Uber eats or a bartender. Gambling provides a thrill you can get without leaving the couch, and anything that can be done without leaving the couch is going to be popular in the United States. 

4.  This comes with a warning- engaging in this activity can lead to addiction.  What's wrong with addiction?  We aren't told, unless its embedded in that microscopic print that's on the screen for approximately 1.5 seconds at the end of an ad which spent 28.5 seconds telling us how gambling is Innocent Harmless Fun.  Might have something to do with obsession, social isolation, and personal finances, but I can only guess unless I decide to pick up my SmartPhone and use it to make myself just a little - or a lot- more stupid.