DraftKings Accidentally Sends Mass Golf Email, Causing User Account Concerns

Apr 10, 2024; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Nick Taylor tees off on no. 12 during a practice round for the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY NetworkDraftKings recently sent out a mass email to users about golf bets they may have never placedThe company did not send a follow-up email to users, but announced the error on social mediaUsers worried their accounts had been compromised

Some DraftKings users received an email from the sports betting operator last night informing them they would be receiving a “bonus bet” after placing a wager over the weekend on a golf tournament.

That’s great! However, the email was accidentally sent out to a large section of DraftKings users that never placed a bet on golf over the weekend, sparking worries that their accounts had been compromised by outside sources. That’s bad!

“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. Please disregard that email,” DraftKings noted on X.

Worries Abound from Users

The email explained to users that a “dead heat reduction” was used to determine the outcome of a golf tournament played over the weekend where two or more golfers tied for the same winning position. The notification told users that they would be receiving a “bonus bet” for the amount of their original wager as a one-time courtesy.

“We are writing in regards to the bet(s) you placed on this past weekends golf tournament(s),” the email began.

The problem? Many of the DraftKings users who received the email never placed any bets on golf over the weekend, prompting them to believe their accounts were hacked or compromised.

X user @DanBranYT said on the social media platform last night that he believed his account had been hacked after receiving the DraftKings email.

“DraftKings sending an email to everyone about a golf bet most people didn’t make😬. Had me thinking someone hacked my account I haven’t used in a year or so.”

User @Doryfisher echoed his worries as well.

“Got this email. Haven’t used that account in years. Seemed odd, phishy or someone hacked my account. First place I go to check to see what’s up was ‘X’ and the answer found in seconds. Not some misleading google search with the 5 first responses being paid ads #DraftKings @xDaily.”

User @ChicaglassSzn also described difficulty with logging into his account at the same time as other users who were worried about their account safety as well.

“#DraftKings just blasted their userbase with an erroneous email. Now the site is degraded because people are trying to login thinking they been hacked – me included. Someone clicked the wrong button.”

There were many others last night sharing the same concerns on the platform.

According to DraftKings, the emails were mistakenly sent out to more users than originally intended, which leads one to believe that it had nothing to do with account security measures.

Busy Day for DraftKings

The email went out to users just hours after the company announced on social media that it would be rescinding its plan to institute a tax surcharge on winning bets in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Illinois.

DraftKings cited customer feedback as the main reason for pulling back the plan.

“We always listen to our customers and after hearing their feedback we have decided not to move forward with the gaming tax surcharge. We are always committed to delivering the best value in the industry to our loyal customers,” the operator noted on social media and through an official company statement.