Big $5 Million Development for Jaguars Surfaces Before Bengals Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 5:32 PM ET

More than a year after one of the NFL’s most striking internal fraud cases emerged, the financial fallout has a new chapter.

Sports-betting operator FanDuel has reportedly agreed to pay the Jacksonville Jaguars roughly $5 million, sources told ESPN on Friday, in a settlement finalized earlier in the year that was meant to offset the portion of team funds the ex-employee placed at the sportsbook.

The arrangement follows the conviction of Amit Patel, a midlevel finance manager for the Jaguars who prosecutors say used the team’s virtual credit-card system to steal about $22 million between 2019 and 2023.

Court records and reporting indicate Patel funneled approximately $20 million to FanDuel and roughly $1 million to DraftKings before federal authorities intervened; Patel pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6.5 years in March 2024.

FanDuel will pay the Jaguars nearly $5M to compensate for the $20M that an ex-team employee stole from the team and lost at the sportsbook, per @espn. pic.twitter.com/3dnTGRx9pD
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 12, 2025

Sources said the NFL encouraged the Jaguars and FanDuel to resolve the dispute but did not directly negotiate; FanDuel, one of the league’s official sportsbook partners, was reportedly motivated by the desire to preserve the relationship with the NFL.

That resolution arrives against ongoing litigation as Patel sued FanDuel in October 2024 seeking $250 million, alleging the operator exploited his gambling disorder and failed to apply adequate anti-money-laundering and responsible-gaming protections.

Separately, the Jaguars filed suit against Patel in July 2024 seeking more than $66 million.

The case has exposed several notable gaps when it comes to the control of team finances, sportsbook verification and monitoring and industry-wide responsible-gambling safeguards.

It also raises questions about how sportsbooks identify and react when high-volume deposits come from sources later alleged to be criminal. ESPN reported how Patel had made more than 1,000 deposits at the sportsbook, each being worth $25,000 and was said to have been living an "extravagant lifestyle."

Given that the $5 million payout is only a partial recovery of the sums lost, it's widely speculated that the settlement was intended to limit further legal exposure and public-relations damage for both the Jaguars and FanDuel, neither of which has yet commented on the matter.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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