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- A CBS News investigation highlighted concerns over whether major sportsbooks like FanDuel act quickly enough to intervene with at-risk bettors when internal data flags sudden surges in wagering activity.
- FanDuel defended its consumer protection protocols, stating it suspended 5,700 accounts for problem gambling last year and denying allegations that it fails to aggressively monitor and curb harmful behavior.
A CBS News investigation published Sept. 23 is putting renewed focus on whether major online sportsbooks, including FanDuel, do enough to identify and intervene with at-risk bettors before losses escalate.
The segment centers on the rapid growth of U.S. online sports betting since 2018 and the consumer-protection questions that have followed. CBS reported that Americans wagered $167 billion last year and cited data saying bankruptcies and credit card delinquencies rose 25% when states allow online gambling.
CBS report highlights bettor losses and industry monitoring claims
CBS featured bettor Estabbon Ruiz Haynes, who said he bets every day and lost $500 in a matter of hours on FanDuel during a college football Saturday. Haynes said he wagers about $80,000 to $120,000 a year, roughly equal to his annual income.
The report also included a former FanDuel employee who said the company’s internal data can flag sudden changes in customer betting behavior.
> “Their data collection is among the best I’ve seen any company I’ve worked at,” the former employee said in the segment. “So, they know if an individual gambler is betting the normal amount for them, they would know suddenly that amount surged.”
CBS said FanDuel notified Haynes that his account was being suspended only after he appeared in the story.
FanDuel disputes criticism and points to account suspensions
FanDuel pushed back on the report’s criticism. According to CBS, the operator said it has “sophisticated protections” in place to spot problem gambling and said claims that it does not aggressively monitor and curb harmful behavior are “completely false.”
The company also told CBS it suspended 5,700 accounts for problem gambling last year out of roughly 18 million customers.
The segment framed those figures as part of a broader debate over how sportsbooks should use the large amount of customer data they collect, especially as legal online betting expands across the U.S.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams was also referenced in the report for a prior social media post calling sports betting “the new opioid crisis,” though CBS’s main focus was on operator safeguards and whether intervention tools are used early enough.
For bettors and regulators, the story adds to ongoing scrutiny of responsible gaming controls at major sportsbooks, particularly around account monitoring, suspension policies, and how operators respond when betting patterns change sharply.
Source: As reported by CBS Evening News.
