Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) is asking two large daily fantasy sports websites to provide a list of NFL personnel that have used their websites in the past year, according to The Hill.
This all comes after DraftKings employee Ethan Haskell published sensitive material prior to rosters locking in and then won $350,000. Two weeks ago the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa, Fla., began an investigation delving into fantasy sports operators like FanDuel and Draftkings for violations of federal and state laws.
Well now these fantasy sports may actually be affecting the players and coaches, as Pallone sent letters to FanDuel and DraftKings asking for names of any players, coaches, referees, training personnel, team staff and even owners that had used their websites. The letter also asks to provide the amount of entry fees and the winnings for each person.
DraftKings confirmed it had received the letter and stated it was "committed to working with all relevant authorities to ensure that our industry operates in a manner that is completely transparent and fair for all consumers, so that they can continue to play the games they love," via The Hill. FanDuel has not commented publicly on this issue.
Pallone believes it is hypocritical for the NFL to partner with sites of this nature, since it generally opposes gambling. NFL personnel are allowed to play in daily fantasy leagues but are not permitted to receive more than $250 in prizes, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
While the past couple weeks have been about DraftKings and FanDuel employees acquiring proprietary data and using it to win on rival websites, the subject seems to change to a broader question with Pallone. If a connection is found between DFS games and NFL personnel, it could end up being a major problem for both parties.
