We can certainly debate in the newsroom which stories we think had the biggest impact on the industry, but in terms of eyeballs on pages, SBC Americas readers have spoken and the results include a few surprises.
If there are any major takeaways, it is that you readers love your drama, particularly your legal drama. The throughline on most of these stories are that several operators and providers alike racked up quite a few billable hours in the legal department. SBC Americas reported on more than two dozen lawsuits this year, ranging from class actions to poaching employees to copycat games.
With that, let’s count down the content:
5. Florida tells some but not all DFS operators to shut down
It feels like a century ago that DFS+ products were square in the sightlines of the gaming industry and regulators. Certainly 2023 will be remembered as the year the clash peaked, but it rolled over into 2024 before the industry pivoted its vitriol to the sweepstakes market.
In January the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) sent a letter to several DFS operators telling them they are in violation of the law and telling them to exit the market. Technically, all forms of daily fantasy sports are prohibited under FGCC’s interpretation of the law, but some operators were notably not sent a letter. FanDuel and DraftKings, which were offering slate-style DFS games as opposed to prop-style contests at the time, received no such letter, creating confusion about what exactly was and was not okay in the Sunshine State.
The exit was short-lived, as PrizePicks and Underdog worked with regulators and developed and launched peer-to-peer versions of the their contests and resumed operations in Florida by April. The peer-to-peer solution has worked in many states to fall into compliance with regulators, which helps explain why the roars against the industry quieted down.
4. DraftKings hit with another bonus-related class action
Our number four story snuck in under the wire, dropping just last week. However, it is the continuation of what has been a year-long endeavor for DraftKings. A New York man has filed a class action lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York, alleging that the terms of the sportsbook’s $1,000 deposit bonus were misleading.
This is the third lawsuit of the year accusing the bonus, which includes several terms and conditions that include $5,000 in deposits and $25,000 in wagers, of being misleading. The first, filed with the help of the Public Health Advocacy Institute in Massachusetts state court, is moving forward. The court denied DraftKings’ motion to dismiss and is set to progress throughout 2025.
The second lawsuit, filed by a New York woman, stalled when the plaintiff pulled the legal action, claiming illness was keeping her from moving forward.
3. Georgia woman files suit against Chumba parent company VGW
There are arguably too many sweepstakes-related class actions to track, but the case of Destiny Kennedy drew quite a bit of attention this year. The woman filed the suit in the Georgia Northern District Court against sweepstakes leader VGW and claimed that she opted out of the binding arbitration clause that has bounced many similar suits against sweeps operators in the past.
Since the lawsuit was filed, VGW has responded, claiming Kennedy agreed to an updated terms of service and failed to opt out of the arbitration clause. Moreover, another case in the same district was tossed this month after the judge concluded the court lacked jurisdiction to proceed.
That court decision may impact Kennedy’s case, but it won’t stop the host of others, including some that are taking aim at payment providers in addition to operators. A recent lawsuit filed in New Jersey went so far as to include Google and Apple in the defendants, levying RICO charges against the tech giants.
2. Paige Spiranac joins SportsGrid for casino content
Not all of our top stories were contentious. Of course, not all of our top content involved one of the most popular gambling social media personalities. Paige Spiranac made a huge splash with her announcement that she will be assuming a new role as the face of SportsGrid’s casino content.
The sports betting network made great strides towards expansion this year, first partnering with slots streamer Brian Christopher, then announcing the deal with Spiranac in October.
“I’m thrilled to join SportsGrid and dive into the world of sports gaming with a network that’s truly pushing boundaries in sports and casino entertainment,” said Spiranac at the time. “Creating unique, interactive content for fans who share my passion for gaming is something I’m incredibly excited about. Together with SportsGrid, I look forward to bringing a fresh perspective and delivering the fun, engaging experiences that fans expect and deserve.
1. John Doe nee Steve Jacobs claims DK and Spanky in cahoots
It doesn’t take a detective to figure out why this story topped our traffic this year. There is a little bit of everything. A big name operator, a big name bettor and some salacious charges including extortion and assault.
Originally filed with John Doe as the plaintiff, the suit alleged that DraftKings provided professional bettor Gadoon “Spanky” Kyrollos with personal information about him so Kyrollos and his associate could hunt down and extort the man for money.
A little detective work by the SBC Americas team determined the John Doe was Steven Jacobs, an attorney and gambler involved in a New York state lawsuit with the associate named in the Doe suit, Oscar Jones. In that suit, Jones said Jacobs agreed to serve as a beard for him on DraftKings but refused to turn over nearly half a million in winnings.
Jacobs later put his name on the lawsuit, which is still pending. Meanwhile, the state court case, which sided with Jacobs, is pending appeal.
