FanDuel Pays Jaguars $5M in Betting Fund Theft Case

A former employee of the Jaguars stole money from the team and then lost it in Fanduel bets.

Fanduel agreed to pay the Jacksonville Jaguars approximately 5 million dollars to compensate for almost 20 million that a Jacksonville ex -employee stole the team and then lost at the betting houseaccording to ESPN sources familiar with the agreement.

The sources indicated that the agreement was specified in early 2025, more than a year after What Patelmedium level financial manager of the Jaguarswill declare guilty of steal $ 22 million through a credit card system Virtual that the equipment used for expenses.

The sources added that the NFL encouraged the Jaguars and fanduelone of the official betting partners of the League, to reach a resolution, but did not actively participate in the discussions. A source with direct knowledge of the agreement revealed that FanDuel He was motivated to pay the Jaguars in order to be a good partner of the League.

Los Jaguars and the NFL declined to comment. FanDuel He did not respond immediately to comments requests.

ESPN first reported in February 2024 that the Jaguars had requested to FanDuel the return of part of the money stolen by Patel. At that time, a source familiar with the conversations between both parties declared: “From the point of view of FanDuel… We obtained this money fairly and without setbacks. It is not our problem having to return it. “

Patel was sentenced in March 2024 to six and a half years in prison for electronic fraud and illegal monetary transaction, and was imprisoned in a federal prison of minimum security in Alabama. He was transferred to the Duval County prison in July, when the Florida State Prosecutor’s Office accused him of a first -degree organized fraud charge. In Florida, that position is punished with up to 30 years in prison.

In July 2024, the Jaguars They sued Patel In a state court in Florida, requesting compensation for damages of 66.6 million dollars. Florida allows triple compensation in civil cases. In a recent interview with CNN, Patel claimed to have “borrowed money illegally using the jaguars credit card” to bet on matches, hoping to win and then return the stolen funds. According to judicial documents, Patel transferred approximately 20 million dollars to FanDuel and 1 million to Draftkings, where he was a daily fantasy player of high risk and high volume.

In October, Patel sued Fanduel before a federal courtrequesting 250 million dollars in compensatory and punitive damage, claiming that the betting house “exploited” its addiction to the game and intentionally ignored its responsible game protocols and against the money laundering. Patel declared in judicial documents that Fanduel should have known that he was a problematic player and that he made more than 1000 deposits in the betting house, each for an amount of $ 25,000.

Patel was diagnosed with a game disorder in March 2023, one month after being fired by the Jaguars, according to a judicial file.

The federal authorities refuted Patel’s statement that their behavior was due to an addiction to the game. In a judicial file, they declared that Patel led an extravagant lifestyle while working with the Jaguars, which included renting private planes, reserving luxury hotels, acquiring several vehicles and acquiring cryptocurrencies, a membership in a field club, spa treatments and a luxury bracelet watch.