Shocking! Ex-Jaguars employee plans to sue a casino over gambling addiction after embezzling $22 million from the team.
A former financial manager for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, Amit Patel, who embezzled $22 million from the team, is suing FanDuel for $250 million. Patel, currently serving a 6 1/2-year prison sentence in South Carolina, filed the lawsuit in federal court in New York on Tuesday. He claims FanDuel exploited his gambling addiction by disregarding its own responsible gambling and anti-money laundering policies. The lawsuit also alleges FanDuel knew Patel was employed by the NFL team, making him ineligible to gamble legally, and was aware that the $20 million he wagered over the years came from stolen or illegitimate sources.
FanDuel declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.
The lawsuit alleges that FanDuel provided Patel with over $1.1 million in gambling credits and bombarded him with incentives to gamble, with his personal host contacting him up to 100 times a day.
“While the complaint does not claim the addicted gambler is entirely without fault, it seeks to assign responsibility, considering FanDuel’s active role in encouraging his gambling addiction,” said Patel’s attorney, Matthew Litt.
The lawsuit states that Patel’s host would contact him several times on days he hadn’t placed a bet, asking why. These communications occurred from early morning until late at night. It also claims that FanDuel, based in New York, showered Patel with gifts, including trips to the Super Bowl, the Masters golf tournament, auto racing events, and college basketball tournaments.
Patel pleaded guilty to wire fraud and other charges in December, agreeing to repay the money he had stolen from the Jaguars.
His lawsuit mirrors others filed by compulsive gamblers in recent years, accusing casinos or online gambling companies of exploiting their addictions.
In September 2008, a federal judge dismissed a case filed by a former New York attorney, who argued that casinos had a legal responsibility to stop her from gambling, knowing she was addicted. Similarly, in February, a lawsuit by Patel’s current lawyer, also against Atlantic City casinos, was dismissed after arguing that casinos should have cut off compulsive gamblers.
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