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big scandal is about to reach its conclusion. In 2024, a former Jacksonville Jaguars employee pleaded guilty to stealing $22 million through a virtual credit system that the used for expenses and depositing them at a sports book. Now, over a year after the scandal broke, the Jaguars are receiving their compensation for the misdeed.
FanDuel, a popular daily fantasy sports website and an official betting partner of the NFL, has agreed to pay the Jaguars $5 million to compensate for the money that the employee stole from the team. FanDuel and the NFL franchise finalized the deal earlier this year. The league encouraged the Jaguars and FanDuel to come to a resolution but stayed out of active negotiations. But through it all, FanDuel always wanted to pay the Jaguars— in the interest of being a good partner with the league.
The Scandal
In March 2024, Amit Patel was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions when he used money that the Jaguars used for team expenses and used it for sports betting instead. When the scandal first broke in February of 2024, the Jaguars asked FanDuel to pay them back but the site initially was not on board, believing that they got the money ‘fair and square.
“The way [FanDuel] see[s] it … we got this money fair and clear. It’s not our problem that we have to forfeit it back to you,” a familiar source said back in 2024.
In July of that same year, the Jaguars took Patel to court and asked for $66.6 million. Later on, Patel sued FanDuel and asked for $250 million, claiming that FanDuel exploited his gambling addiction.
Patel’s Role
In an interview with CNN, Patel admitted to his wrongdoings and even hinted that he was suffering from a major addiction. Illegally borrowing money by using the Jaguars‘ company credit card, he would bet on games– where his goal was to win and repay the stolen funds. Court documents revealed that Patel transferred around $20 million to FanDuel and $1 million to Draft Kings, another NFL betting partner, and was a high volume daily fantasy sports player.
However, federal authorities disputed Patel’s gambling addiction claims and instead said that in a court filing, he lived a very extravagant lifestyle. Patel’s lifestyle choices included chartered private jets, staying in luxurious hotels and resorts, having multiple cars, buying cryptocurrency, being a member of a country club and owning a very expensive wristwatch, among other things.
Jaguars To Receive Big Payout from FanDuel Over Stolen Betting Funds