- FanDuel today acknowledge issues affected its daily fantasy sports platform
- FanDuel noted it has refunded “net losses” to its impacted DFS customers
- Customers reported FanDuel’s DFS services were down for hours on Sunday, not allowing users to modify DFS lineups before they were locked
FanDuel today acknowledged customer frustrations and promised refunds of “net losses” to affected daily fantasy sports users after its fantasy sports platform experienced several hours of down time on Sunday morning.
FanDuel’s daily fantasy sports platform reportedly disallowed users from editing fantasy contest lineups prior to the 1 p.m. NFL kickoffs, locking in fantasy lineups that may not have been fully finalized by customers. The fantasy sports contest app was reportedly down for up to two hours prior to the opening run of NFL games, according to customers.
“To our DFS customers – we acknowledge that yesterday’s site issue was unacceptable. NFL Week 1 is supposed to be a joyous time, and we fumbled. The team investigated the issue and has now refunded the net losses to our impacted customers. We remain committed to offering you a better DFS experience and have plenty of fun in store for Week 2 and beyond,” FanDuel Customer Support posted to its social media page earlier today.
Frustrations Over Platform
FanDuel DFS users spoke out on social media platforms on Sunday, Sept. 13, the first full day of NFL football, noting that FanDuel’s fantasy sports app was not allowing customers to modify or edit fantasy sports lineups.
The platform locked contests without users being able to make changes to their lineups for hours leading up the the start of the 1 p.m. EST NFL games.
FanDuel apologized for the error and refunded affected customers the “net losses” due to their platform error. The customer service account urged affected users who had not received refunds to DM their account for more information.
A common strategy for daily fantasy sports customers is to use “dummy lineups” leading up to kickoff and then modify the lineups minutes before the contests go live and lock. Many FanDuel customers were stuck with their “dummy lineups,” unable to modify them before the 1 p.m. kickoffs, likely leading to losses.
DraftKings Jumps Into DFS Fray
While not specifically mentioning FanDuel, DraftKings posted to X this afternoon and took a shot at companies that “just don’t care” when it comes to their daily fantasy sports products.
“Your DFS home should probably be somewhere that treats DFS like it matters. We’ve noticed other companies just don’t care. We’re not shocked. Biggest prize pools. More ways to play. Better customer service. Always choose DraftKings.”
DraftKings is likely also alluding to Underdog’s recent decision drop its daily fantasy sports contests in six states, instead choosing to focus on its prediction market offerings.
The company surrendered its daily fantasy sports licenses in Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio on Wednesday, Sept. 9, prior to the start of the NFL season opener.
“Drafts community, I have some not fun news to share. Right after kickoff on Wednesday, we will be shutting down Drafts in seven states: MA, MD, MI, MS, NJ, PA and OH. Already entered drafts will continue as normal, but in those states you won’t be able to enter new drafts. If you’re a drafter in one of those states, I’m really sorry,” Underdog CEO Jeremy Levine said.
Robert is an expert on sports betting in the United States, specifically the legalization process and regulation surrounding the industry.
