April 10, 2024; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Nick Taylor tees off on the 12th hole during a practice round for the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Photo Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Network
- DraftKings recently sent a mass email to users about golf bets they may never have placed
- The company did not send a follow-up email to users but announced the error on social media
- Users feared their accounts had been compromised
Some DraftKings users received an email from the sportsbook last night telling them they would receive a “bonus bet” if they bet on a golf tournament over the weekend.
That’s great! However, the email was inadvertently sent to a large portion of DraftKings users who never placed a golf bet over the weekend, sparking fears that their accounts had been compromised by outside sources. That’s bad!
“You may have received an email regarding last weekend’s golf tournament and the Dead Heat rule that was inadvertently worded more broadly than intended. Please disregard this email,” DraftKings noted on X.
Many users are worried
The email explained to users that a “dead heat deduction” had been used to determine the outcome of a golf tournament played over the weekend in which two or more golfers had finished in the same winning position. The notification told users that they would receive a “bonus bet” equal to their original stake as a one-time thank you.
“We are writing to you regarding the bet(s) you placed on last weekend’s golf tournament(s),” the email began.
The problem? Many of the DraftKings users who received the email didn’t place any bets on golf over the weekend, leading them to believe their accounts had been hacked or compromised.
X-user @DanBranYT said on the social media platform last night that he believes his account was hacked after receiving the DraftKings email.
“DraftKings sent everyone an email about a golf bet that most people didn’t make 😬. I thought someone had hacked my account which I haven’t used in about a year.”
User @Doryfisher also expressed his concerns.
“Got this email. Haven’t used this account in years. Seemed weird, phishing attempt or someone hacked my account. First thing I did was check what was going on and the answer was found in seconds. Not a misleading Google search where the first 5 answers are paid ads #DraftKings @xDaily.”
User @ChicaglassSzn also described difficulties logging into their account, while other users also expressed concerns about the security of their accounts.
“#DraftKings just bombarded its user base with a faulty email. Now the site is compromised because people are trying to log in thinking they’ve been hacked – myself included. Someone clicked the wrong button.”
Last night, many others on the platform expressed the same concerns.
Fortunately, according to DraftKings, the emails were accidentally sent to more users than originally intended and had nothing to do with account security measures.
Busy day for DraftKings
The email was sent to users just hours after the company announced on social media that it was backing away from its plan to impose a surcharge on winning bets in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Illinois.
DraftKings cited customer feedback as the main reason for withdrawing the plan.
“We always listen to our customers and after hearing their feedback, we have decided not to continue implementing the gambling tax surcharge. We always strive to offer our loyal customers the best value in the industry,” the operator said on social media and in an official company statement.
Robert Linnehan
Author and editor for regulatory issues
Rob covers all regulatory developments in online gambling. He specializes in US sports betting news as well as casino regulation news and is one of the most trusted sources in the country.
