FanDuel Sportsbook in Ontario was unavailable to users for much of Wednesday, September 7, before coming back online late in the evening — but not for everyone.
FanDuel Canada tweeted at 2:21 p.m. ET that it is currently experiencing "product issues that are impacting customers' ability to access the platform." Users who tried to log on were met with a message that stated that the betting site was underdoing "unplanned maintenance."
Many players were able to get back into their FanDuel accounts late in the evening on Wednesday, but the issue affected some more than others.
Unauthorized account access
FanDuel contacted affected customers just after 9:30 pm ET with an email titled "Important Information Regarding Your Account" where it stated that "some customers may have had access to account information that was not their own."
The entire email reads like this:
Earlier today FanDuel’s Sportsbook & Casino app experienced a technical incident in Canada caused by an IT change from a third-party provider during which time, some customers may have had access to account information that was not their own.
Your account may have been impacted and is currently disabled. Once discovered, FanDuel shut down the platform, froze affected accounts and addressed the technical issue.
Our customer service teams will be reaching out to you shortly to resolve.
Regards,
FanDuel
FanDuel followed up with a few more details in a tweet thread:
Earlier today, FanDuel’s Sportsbook & Casino app experienced a technical incident in Canada caused by an IT change by a third-party provider. The incident impacted only customers logged in and active for a short period at approximately 12:00pm EDT today. (1/3)
— FanDuel Canada (@FanDuelCanada) September 8, 2022
Users who were affected directly were still not able to access their accounts as of Thursday morning — the same day as the first game of the NFL season.
Money is safe, but questions remain
We spoke with a user who first noticed strange behaviour in his account around noon ET. This user was alerted by a cash withdrawal from FanDuel hitting his bank account — only he had not requested the withdrawal.
Online sportsbooks like FanDuel use a closed-loop banking system, meaning that users need to use the same method to withdraw money as they used to deposit money. This meant that the user's unauthorized withdrawal sent the money directly to his bank account, and not elsewhere.
But many questions remain as the affected users still cannot access their accounts. Those customers have been told that they will be contacted by FanDuel customer service "shortly."
FanDuel's response
FanDuel sent an email to those affected on Friday afternoon, telling users that their account "may have been accessible to other FanDuel customers for a short period of time." The email continued:
Specifically, other customers may have been able to view the following information associated with your account:
• Name
• Email Address and Phone Number
• Account history (this includes prior transactions on this account)
• Preferences (this includes marketing preferences and RG limits)
• Last 4 digits of payment card
Note: Your password was not visible.
FanDuel appears to be in the process of contacting each customer who was affected. Some users have reported that their situation is resolved and that FanDuel has voided all losing bets made during the period (while winnings remain in the account). Others have reported that they still cannot access their accounts.
