Former Jacksonville Jaguars employee Amit Patel is suing FanDuel, accusing the sportsbook of “exploiting” his gambling addiction. Back in March, Patel was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for embezzling $22 million from the Jaguars to fuel that addiction.
Patel has filed a civil suit in the Southern District of New York in which he alleges FanDuel ignored its own responsible gaming and anti-money laundering protocols. Patel is seeking $250 million in damages, according to documents obtained by ESPN.
Patel dumped $20 million into FanDuel while the sportsbook gave him $1.1 million in credits and sent him on lavish trips to the College Football Playoff, the Masters and the Miami Grand Prix. On top of that, Patel alleges that FanDuel VIP host Brett Krause communicated with him around 100 times per day from 2021-2023. On days Patel didn’t gamble, he claims Krause contacted him wanting to know why.
Matthew Litt, Patel’s attorney, claims FanDuel “preyed” on Patel, doing whatever it could to get him to keep gambling.
“Defendants actively and intentionally targeted and preyed on Plaintiff with incentives, credits, and gifts to create, nurture, expedite and/or exacerbate his addiction with the only possible outcome that he would ultimately hit rock bottom.”
Theresa Trzaskoma, an attorney for Krause, called Patel a “fraudster” who misrepresented his lifestyle to Krause.
From 2019 to 2023, Patel embezzled more than $22 million from the Jaguars while working as the team’s finance manager. In addition to his deposits on FanDuel, Patel was accused of purchasing two vehicles, a condo and cryptocurrency with the money.
Patel struck a plea deal in December 2023 and, on top of his prison sentence, was ordered to pay $21 million in restitution.
