A former financial manager for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars who stole $22 million from the team is suing FanDuel for $250 million, accusing the gambling company of exploiting his gambling addiction.
Amit Patel, who is serving a six-and-a-half year prison sentence in South Carolina, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in New York, alleging that FanDuel ignored the company’s responsible gambling and anti-money laundering policies and that Patel He claimed that he knew that he was an employee of the company. Because he is on an NFL team, he is not legally eligible to gamble, and he knows that the $20 million he bet on daily fantasy sports contests over the years was stolen from legitimate sources or otherwise. I did.
FanDuel declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
The complaint alleges that FanDuel gave Patel more than $1.1 million in gambling credits and enticed him to gamble more, including contacting him up to 100 times a day from a personal host.
“While the complaint certainly does not allege that addicted gamblers are not at fault, the lawsuit does explain that FanDuel was very actively involved in his gambling addiction,” said Matthew Litt, Patel’s attorney. “We are trying to allocate responsibility in this way.”
According to the complaint, while Patel hadn’t placed any bets that day, the organizer called him several times and asked him why he wasn’t placing any bets. These communications began early in the morning and continued until late at night, the complaint alleges.
New York-based FanDuel has given Mr. Patel lavish gifts, including trips to the Super Bowl, the Masters golf tournament, auto races and a college basketball tournament, the newspaper said.
Patel pleaded guilty in December to wire fraud and other charges and agreed to repay the money he stole from the team.
His case is similar to others filed in recent years by compulsive gamblers who have accused casinos and online gambling companies of preying on their addictions.
In September 2008, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by a former New York attorney. The lawsuit claimed that the seven casinos had a legal obligation to stop her if they knew she had a gambling problem.
And in February, a lawsuit filed against FanDuel by the same lawyers currently representing Patel argued that Atlantic City casinos had a legal obligation to cut off compulsive gamblers. , rejected.
Similar lawsuits have been dismissed in other states.
