Ludus Playbook

THE PLAYBOOK

The app isn’t broken
when you lose.
That’s the product working.

Betting apps are engineered, screen by screen, to get you to bet more than you meant to. Find your bettor type, see the moves they run, and test whether you can spot one. Anonymous — no account, no email, no tracking.

★ HOLO · FOIL · ★

LUDUS PLAYBOOK

HOW THE
APP PLAYS
YOU

SIX TRICKS · ONE HOUSE EDGE

HOUSE EDGE

ALWAYS ON

NEAR-MISS

BY DESIGN

THE CHASE

THE TRAP

NO CLOCKS

NO EXIT

LUDUS PLAYBOOK
HARM REDUCTIONFOIL · 2026

How it works

01

Find your type

Five quick questions sort you into a bettor type you can share.

02

See how the apps work

A two-minute, plain-English look at the moves betting apps run on you.

03

Spot the trick

A short challenge: can you catch a manipulation you weren’t shown?

By the numbers

source-linked

~4.5%

the house’s built-in cut on a standard straight bet.

−110 vig · WaPo

20%+

the typical hold on a multi-leg parlay — several times higher.

WaPo · NJ regulator data

18–25

the age group at highest risk of problem gambling.

NCPG

#1

loss-chasing — the warning sign most tied to gambling disorder.

DSM-5 criterion

Two minutes · anonymous

What kind of bettor are you?

Find your type, learn the moves, and see if you can spot the trick. No account, no email, no tracking.

Start