On June 11, an article bearing the headline “FanDuel CEO Amy Howe Wants to Help the Sports-Betting Business Grow Up” appeared in the online version of The Wall Street Journal. Here, it was reported that FanDuel was “re-evaluating the use of terms like ‘risk free’ in its advertising promotions targeting new customers.”

Shortly thereafter, on Sports Handle and other affiliated websites, the “risk-free” language in FanDuel’s promotions vanished, replaced by the phrase “no sweat.” Hence, rather than a risk-free bet, new customers are now offered a “$1000 No Sweat First Bet” – a shift that’s drawn measured praise from responsible gambling advocates and researchers who’ve long held that labeling such wagers “risk-free” was dangerously misleading, if not plainly inaccurate.