The counter-app to FanDuel & DraftKings

Don't give up sports.
Give up the dark side of it.

The average sports bettor loses $8,000+ a year and spends 40+ hours a month on apps. Sideline is built for the guy who wants his Sundays back.
See what it's costing you Join the waitlist
Anonymous Peer-led Not a hotline Built by a fan
BetMGM / FanDuel
Designed to keep you betting
Promo codes engineered to addict
Ruined how you watch sports
"Bet responsibly" — then sent you another push notification
vs
Sideline
Designed to free you
Tracks what you keep, not what you lose
Helps you enjoy the game again
Real peer support, 24/7
4.2M
Americans struggling with sports betting addiction right now
13.4%
Of men aged 18–34 show signs of problem gambling
$150B
Wagered in the US last year. The house kept most of it.
How it works

Three steps. No therapist required.

Sideline isn't rehab. It's a tool built for the guy who's not ready to call a hotline but knows something needs to change.
Step 01
Take the assessment
11 questions. Calculates your lifetime losses, how many hours you've given to betting apps, and what that money could have bought instead. Takes 3 minutes. Hits harder than you'd expect.
Step 02
Track your streak
Daily check-ins tied to the real game schedule. NFL Sunday? You get a nudge before kickoff — not after you've already opened DraftKings. Every clean day is money back in your pocket.
Step 03
Talk to people who get it
Anonymous peer community and an AI coach available 24/7. No judgment, no labels, no "have you considered calling a helpline." Just guys who've been in the same gray zone and found their way out.
The real score

What the house is taking from you

Move the sliders. See your number. Then see what that money could have paid for instead.
Lifetime cost calculator
Based on your actual habits — not a worst-case scenario.
Weekly wager$150/wk
Years of betting ahead of you20 yrs
Bet typeParlays (15% edge)
Daily time on betting apps1.5 hrs/day
-
Estimated lifetime losses
-
Total wagered
-
Life spent on apps
That money could have paid for
Our story
"I'm an athlete. I'm also a gambler. And for a long time, I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began."

I grew up loving sports. Not just watching — living it. The competition, the strategy, the stakes. When sports betting became legal and every app was a tap away, it felt like a natural extension of that. I knew the game. I'd have an edge.

I didn't have an edge. Nobody does.

I have an addictive personality. I didn't fully understand what that meant until I was deep in it — checking odds before I checked my messages in the morning, researching props at 1am for a game I didn't even care about, placing bets to make a game "worth watching." I had wasted thousands of dollars and more hours than I want to count.

The worst part wasn't the money. It was what it did to sports. The thing I loved most became a vehicle for gambling. I couldn't watch a game and just enjoy it. Every play was a potential win or loss. Every injury was a disaster. Every Sunday became something I dreaded as much as I looked forward to.

I watched it happen to people around me too. Guys who started betting casually and couldn't stop. Friends who were checking their phone every two minutes during games, not to enjoy it — to monitor their parlay. The gray zone is real, it's massive, and nobody was building anything for it.

Not a hotline. Not a rehab centre. Something built for guys who love sports and got pulled into the dark side of it — and just want their Sundays back.

That's Sideline.

Anonymous founder
University athlete · former problem bettor · built Sideline
"I'm not sharing my name yet — partly because I'm still figuring this out publicly, and partly because the story isn't about me. It's about the 4.2 million guys in the same gray zone I was in. If that's you, you're in the right place."
Community

You're not the only one in the gray zone

Anonymous, men-only peer support. No judgment. No labels. Just guys who get it.
JM
Jake M. 31-day streak
2 hours ago
NFL Sunday was brutal. Every ad was a promo code. I put my phone in a drawer during the first half and actually enjoyed the game for the first time in two years. First clean Sunday in months.
38 9 replies
RS
Ryan S. 3-day streak
5 hours ago
Slipped yesterday. Down $600 on live props in 30 minutes. I'm not quitting this app though. Starting the streak over today. Not going to let one bad night erase three weeks of progress.
54 17 replies
DK
Dev K. 60-day streak
Yesterday
60 days. I have $3,200 in my account that would've gone straight to DraftKings. Watched the game last night with my brother and actually remembered what it felt like to just be a fan.
112 24 replies
MT
Marcus T. 21-day streak
2 days ago
Tried calling a helpline once. Felt like I was being processed. Sideline just talks to you like a person. No script, no pamphlet, no "have you considered seeking professional help." Just real conversation.
67 11 replies
What's inside

Everything the sportsbooks don't want you to have

Built for the gray zone — not the guy who's hit rock bottom. Because by then it's already cost you too much.
Risk assessment
11 questions that calculate your lifetime losses and show you what the money could've been instead.
Free
Streak tracker
Daily check-ins tied to the real game schedule. High-urge days flagged before they become bad decisions.
Free
Peer community
Anonymous, men-only threads. No judgment, no lectures. Real people, real progress.
Free
AI coach
Catches urges before they become bets. Available 24/7 — because the app is open at 2am, and so are we.
Recovery+
8-week program
Built around the dopamine loop of live sports betting — not generic gambling recovery content from 1994.
Recovery+
Peer mentors
1-on-1 with guys 90+ days clean. Lived experience beats any algorithm. This is your moat.
Mentor
Pricing

Less than one bad parlay

The average problem bettor loses $650 a month. Sideline costs $9.99.
Free
$0
forever
Full risk assessment + lifetime calculator
Daily streak tracker
Peer community access
2 AI coach messages per day
Get started free
Most popular
Recovery+
$9.99
per month · cancel anytime
Everything in Free
Unlimited AI coach access
Full 8-week structured program
Weekly group check-in calls
Game-day urge alerts
Money + time saved tracker
Join waitlist — founding rate $4.99/mo
Peer Mentor
$49.99
per month
Everything in Recovery+
Weekly 1-on-1 with a trained peer mentor
Accountability partner matched to you
Direct messaging with your mentor
Join waitlist
Support

Questions we get asked

If something isn't answered here, email us at hello@sidelineapp.co
Is this a therapy app or a clinical service?
No. Sideline is a peer support and education platform — not therapy, not a clinical service, not a hotline. We don't diagnose anything and we don't replace professional help. We're the thing you use when you're not ready for any of that, or when you just want to talk to someone who's been through it. If you're in crisis, please call 1-800-522-4700 (Problem Gambling Helpline).
Is it anonymous?
Yes. You sign up with an email address and a username — no real name required anywhere on the platform. Community posts are anonymous by default. Your assessment results are private and never shared. Nobody in your life will know you're using Sideline unless you tell them.
I don't think I have a problem. Is this still for me?
That's exactly who Sideline is built for. The gray zone — guys who haven't lost everything but know betting is taking up more money, time, and headspace than it should. You don't need to hit rock bottom to use this. In fact, the earlier you step to the sideline, the less it costs you.
What if I slip and place a bet?
You reset your streak and keep going. That's it. Sideline isn't about perfection — it's about the direction you're moving. The community has seen plenty of slips. Nobody lectures you. You log it, you talk about what triggered it, and you build a longer streak next time.
Is this only for men?
The peer community is currently men-only because sports betting addiction affects men disproportionately — 13.4% of men 18–34 show problem gambling signs — and the culture, language, and social dynamics are different enough that we believe a focused space works better. The assessment, calculator, AI coach, and program are available to everyone.
How does the AI coach work?
The AI coach is available 24/7 in the app. It's trained specifically on the psychology of sports betting addiction — not generic mental health content. It talks like a person, not a pamphlet. It asks one good question at a time, helps you identify what's triggering the urge, and gives you a concrete alternative before the urge becomes a bet. Free users get 2 messages per day. Recovery+ users get unlimited access.
When does the app launch?
We're in early development. Founding members on the waitlist get access first and lock in $4.99/mo for life — half the regular Recovery+ price. Join the waitlist below and we'll email you the moment we're live.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. No contracts, no cancellation fees, no questions asked. Cancel from your account settings in 30 seconds. We'd rather you leave and come back than stay and resent us.
Get early access
Founding members get Recovery+ at $4.99/mo for life — half price, locked in forever. First 500 only.
No spam. One email when we launch. Unsubscribe anytime.
You're in. We'll email you at launch with your founding member rate.