DraftKings sent an email Tuesday night that caused some sports bettors to worry their accounts were hacked.
The email, which explained why a dead-heat reduction was applied to golf bets from the past weekend, suggested every user receiving the email had recently placed a golf bet. Many had not, which sparked concerns that accounts were compromised. DraftKings later posted to social media, saying the emails were sent more widely than needed.
“You may have received an email regarding this past weekend’s golf tournament and the ‘Dead Heat’ rule that was inadvertently sent more broadly than intended,” DraftKings posted on X. “Please disregard that email.”
The email also mentioned giving bettors a one-time bonus bet as a result of the dead heat reduction, something those bettors won’t receive if they didn’t actually have a golf bet subject to the reduction.
Hacking Concerns?
Downdetector.com, which reports website outages and issues, shows a significant spike in reports of DraftKings being down around 11 p.m. ET. Those reports came shortly after DraftKings’ email mistake.
The sports betting app having login issues only enhanced concerns among some bettors that DraftKings suffered a security breach. Fortunately, DraftKings says the issue was with its email, not its security measures.
The mishap came the same day after the operator announced that it wouldn’t move forward with its controversial plan to add a gaming surcharge to bettors in four states. That plan received significant pushback from customers after it was announced, and no other operators followed suit.
