The Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) announced Thursday a series of sports betting violations against FanDuel Sportsbook.
A recent IGC investigation discovered eight people used an illegally obtained debit card to fund their betting accounts. The card, from the Arizona Federal Credit Union, belonged to a retiree and his spouse. IN sports betting rules prohibit players from funding their accounts with someone else’s debit or credit card.
The couple told the IGC the undated incident caused them “great harm.” The IGC did not specify the dollar amount deposited or share any other details about the incident “out of respect for the couple.”
“Great harm. That alarms me,” IGC chairman Milton Thompson said during the June 15 commission meeting. “When I see someone with that level of harm, I want to be sure we are doing everything in our power to be sure that we have mitigated the harm to someone on our watch.”
IN sports betting investigation into FanDuel
During the meeting, an IGC representative said FanDuel Sportsbook requested the phrase “great harm” be removed from the settlement documents. The IGC refused, citing its findings during the investigation. It also accused FanDuel of failing to respond to “timely and appropriately” to questions about the incident.
Jennifer Reske, deputy director for the IGC, told LSR, “Staff had a very productive meeting with FanDuel and are pleased with the steps it is taking to put preventative measures in place following this incident.”
The commission cannot force restitution for the couple and declined to comment on potential criminal charges. During the public meeting, an IGC representative said FanDuel had not made restitution to this point.
FanDuel did not respond to a request for comment by LSR.
Additional Indiana sports betting violations
In a separate incident, FanDuel failed to prevent two people from using each other’s prepaid debit cards to deposit into their Indiana sports betting accounts.
The sportsbook also failed to restrict prohibited people from betting through the app. FanDuel violated additional administrative rules as well.
FanDuel agreed to a $136,000 settlement for six separate violations. Thompson said he was confident the settlement was negotiated in good faith. However, he and the other commission members did not approve it and will revisit the settlement at their September meeting after further reviewing the incident involving the couple.
Dozens of unapproved events offered
Hard Rock Sportsbook offered wagering on 65 unapproved IN sports betting events between September 6, 2022, and January 7, 2023. The company self-reported the violations in January, blaming it on human error.
The sportsbook refunded a total of $236,867 to 394 players. It did not refund free bets.
Betway agreed to a $4,750 settlement for failing to restrict prohibited people from betting.
