Jaguars Recoup $5M From FanDuel Over Employee Theft

• FanDuel paid the Jacksonville Jaguars approximately $5 million, after the sportsbook was encouraged to settle with the NFL team earlier this year.
• Patel transferred $20 million in deposits to his FanDuel account over the course of his employment with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Amit Patel is currently serving six and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions.
• Since his imprisonment, Patel has filed a civil suit for more than $250 million in damages, claiming FanDuel “preyed” on his gambling addiction.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - FanDuel agreed to partially compensate the Jacksonville Jaguars in a $5 million settlement after a former financial manager stole over $22 million during his three years of employment with the team to use at the sportsbook.

The settlement happened earlier this year, in a private agreement between FanDuel and the NFL team.

Amit Patel used the company’s online payment system to fund luxury vacations and place bets at US online sportsbooks, namely FanDuel.

Patel sued FanDuel for $250 million last October, claiming he was a target for the company to prey on, citing his gambling addiction, wagering hundreds of thousands a day.

Patel claims he was contacted frequently by FanDuel to place wagers on his account, despite being contractually banned from using NFL online sportsbooks due to his employment with the Jaguars.

The settlement happened earlier this year to mitigate conflict between the major sportsbook and the NFL team, as FanDuel is an official gambling partner with the NFL. The former employee is facing an additional lawsuit while behind bars for $66 million in a separate lawsuit with the Jaguars.

Patel was set to pay $21 million in restitution in 2023, after FanDuel refused to reimburse the team.

FanDuel claims they received the funds fairly and are not accountable for the team’s discrepancy.