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NJ Man Sues FanDuel

A Bergen County man has filed a lawsuit against online sports betting website FanDuel alleging the company breached its own policy and failed to pay him his full winnings after he pulled out of an active bet.

Michael Wadlow's four-team parlay.

Michael Wadlow's four-team parlay.

Photo Credit: Michael Wadlow

Michael Wadlow, 35, of Upper Saddle River (and soon Ramsey), filed the suit on Oct. 4 in New Jersey Superior Court alleging he self-excluded from a bet with a $5,800 cash-out option and was only refunded his inital $500 wager. 

Wadlow says in self-excluding, he was relying on FanDuel's website, which says that "active and pending wagers will not be canceled" for anyone who self-excludes.

A FanDuel spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation,

However, an industry source confirmed with Daily Voice that FanDuel does abide by New Jersey law 13:69G-2.3, which mandates that when a customer puts themself on a self-exclusion list, FanDuel must void any bets they have.

Wadlow's suit said that he placed a four-team parlay wager on FanDuel on May 15, 2024. He wagered $500 for a potential payout of $55,250, he told Daily Voice.

He needed Carlos Alcaraz to win Wimbledon, the Boston Celtics to win the NBA Championship, Xander Schauffele to win the PGA Tour, and the Yankees to win the World Series, which is still pending.

The odds were 110:1. 

And so, on July 29, when three of the four legs on Wadlow's bet were successful and he had an active cash-out option of $5,800, he self-excluded.

"I was under the impression that my bet would not be canceled," he said on a call with Daily Voice.

It wasn't until Wadlow was checking his bank accounts weeks later and he saw a $500 refund from FanDuel that he realized he never got the $5,800 that he says he is owed.

Wadlow says had he known things would've played out the way they did, he would've hit "cash-out" before self-excluding.

"What happened here is atrocious," Wadlow tells Daily Voice. "It's egregious. I lost tens of thousands of dollars to FanDuel."

“Despite FanDuel’s assurance, Plaintiff’s wager was voided following the self-exclusion, and only the original $500 stake was refunded," his suit states.

Wadlow says the voiding of the bet caused “significant financial harm and potential future loss. Plaintiff reasonably expected the wager to continue based on the clear representations of FanDuel’s website. The action by FanDuel denied Plaintiff the opportunity to profit from a successful wager and caused emotional distress from the breach of trust.”

Wadlow is seeking $20,000 in compensatory damages due to the direct financial harm and loss of $5,800; emotional distress and inconvenience; and potential future loss.

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