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DFS data leak: employees cheating? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Willie Neslon
- Start date
Skoo
Footballguy
So, the law firm that Draftkings commissioned to investigate themselves found no wrongdoing?
Not trying to shoot the messenger, but none of that really means anything to me. Just feels like they are doing their best to sweep this under the rug as quickly as possible.
freeannyong
Footballguy
That report is so cryptic and lacking of all sorts of information the public wants. Who in their right mind at DraftKings thinks that will satisfy anyone.
How do we still not know who had access to the database with the lineups?
How about telling us how many times the database of all entries was accessed by anyone from Thursday evening to Sunday before kickoff?
You think these guys would email a file like that come on. I'm not in IT but I'm pretty sure they should be able to track if a USB drive was used on his machine and anyone's for that matter. Should be a nice trail of evidence somewhere.
Where are all the contest results from user PetrGibbons?
How do we still not know who had access to the database with the lineups?
How about telling us how many times the database of all entries was accessed by anyone from Thursday evening to Sunday before kickoff?
You think these guys would email a file like that come on. I'm not in IT but I'm pretty sure they should be able to track if a USB drive was used on his machine and anyone's for that matter. Should be a nice trail of evidence somewhere.
Where are all the contest results from user PetrGibbons?
degenerate
Footballguy
Starsdraft just emailed saying only residents of Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, and NJ can play now.
Bobcat10
Footballguy
can't or can? I don't remember those states being on the outside. Thought it was just Arizona, Iowa, and a couple others not named those.
Tennessee_ATO
Footballguy
Can. I got the same e-mail. Seems like quite the overreaction, but that's what it is. I can't see them staying afloat long.
GreenNGold
Footballguy
Bobcat10
Footballguy
Yes. Most sites have avoided most sites where it's clearly illegal, but have played in the ambiguous states (and occasionally some clearly illegal ones like Florida).
StarsDraft is going to play only in the states where it's clearly legal and avoid all the ambiguous ones.
StarsDraft is going to play only in the states where it's clearly legal and avoid all the ambiguous ones.
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Willie Neslon
Footballguy
James Daulton
Footballguy
yay Maryland!
GreenNGold
Footballguy
I don't think Ethan did anything wrong but that doesn't matter, that is not even the issue here. The issue is that we don't know who has access to the data or what the safeguards around it are. All that Ethan did was make it 100% confirmed that any rogue employee would have the ability to use data improperly. Hopefully that has never happened, but since we now know the possibility exists without a doubt, we need to make sure better safeguards are put in place going forward, or the data will be used improperly at some point if it hasn't already.
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Doug B
Footballguy
On top of that ... perception trumps reality pretty soundly. Not sure exactly what DFS has to do to get the stink off, but it's going to take a lot of time and a lot of forgetting. Fact-finding, investigation, evidence, etc. is going to have little effect.
JimmyJabroni
Footballguy
http://fortune.com/2015/10/21/daily-fantasy-bharara/
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is investigating daily fantasy sports
Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, has a reputation for toughness, and a track record of winning. In bringing insider trading charges, Bharara started off with an 85-0 record (of convictions or guilty pleas) when the government began cracking down in 2009. In 2011, he orchestrated what the poker world came to call “Black Friday,” which brought the online poker industry to its knees. Now Bharara is taking a look at daily fantasy sports, according to the Wall Street Journal. The tough prosecutor joins a list of governmental bodies that have made similar moves, including the New York State Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney in Tampa, Fla., and the FBI. Bharara may be the most ominous of all these entities.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is investigating daily fantasy sports
Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, has a reputation for toughness, and a track record of winning. In bringing insider trading charges, Bharara started off with an 85-0 record (of convictions or guilty pleas) when the government began cracking down in 2009. In 2011, he orchestrated what the poker world came to call “Black Friday,” which brought the online poker industry to its knees. Now Bharara is taking a look at daily fantasy sports, according to the Wall Street Journal. The tough prosecutor joins a list of governmental bodies that have made similar moves, including the New York State Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney in Tampa, Fla., and the FBI. Bharara may be the most ominous of all these entities.
JimmyJabroni
Footballguy
It sounds like the PA hearing was cancelled and postponed for a couple of weeks so it looks like we'll still be able to play in PA for now.
From what I was reading it sounds like Rep. Dunbar wants 1 million dollar fee from FanDuel and Draftkings along with a percent of revenue, and there would be a portal to those sites through a PA casino website.
From what I was reading it sounds like Rep. Dunbar wants 1 million dollar fee from FanDuel and Draftkings along with a percent of revenue, and there would be a portal to those sites through a PA casino website.
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Tennessee_ATO
Footballguy
Ha! Hardly taking the high road I see. "What you're doing is illegal and harmful to the public. Unless you pay us, in which case it's completely legit."
JimmyJabroni
Footballguy
Yep, a legal shakedown. They are months behind on a budget here and can't agree on anything so they are looking for alternative means of revenue.
Good Posting Judge
Footballguy
Have you noticed people on twitter or fb complaining about the ads? It's interesting. Some are passed disgusted by these companies. Meanwhile I have what I thought was common, that learned ability to ignore ads and keep scrolling. These people see it like a target to jump on and complain
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kittenmittens
Footballguy
I actually love the DK ad where the premise is "there is a sleeper out there, and somebody is going to play him." THAT is how these sites should be advertising. You need to sell public perception on the fact that it's a game of skill but played for fun, and pointing out in a clever way that the difficult part of the tournament DFS game is often picking out a "sleeper" (minimally owned) player that nobody else is on to is a great way of doing that.
The Fanduel ads with the testimonials that suggest things like "the only difference between me and people who didn't win is that I played!" is obvious survivorship bias. These ads make the DFS companies look like sleazy gambling operations trying to suck in new money, and not being upfront about the deposit bonus in their ads is not helping that perception either. They should stop this type of advertising immediately and promote DFS with the angle that you have to outsmart other people and that's why it's fun - the challenge.
The problem with DFS is... it is "gambling" and we all know this. If wagering money against others on how many real life points a team scores is "gambling", so is betting on how many fantasy points a collection of players will individually score. I'm not going to argue about whether this type of gambling should be illegal or legal (my opinion is legal), but I'm just pointing out that it's a really hard argument to make that those two types of wagering on the outcome of games (teams vs. individual players) is different.
It is certainly a game of skill, but so was online poker... I'm pretty worried about the future of DFS.
The Fanduel ads with the testimonials that suggest things like "the only difference between me and people who didn't win is that I played!" is obvious survivorship bias. These ads make the DFS companies look like sleazy gambling operations trying to suck in new money, and not being upfront about the deposit bonus in their ads is not helping that perception either. They should stop this type of advertising immediately and promote DFS with the angle that you have to outsmart other people and that's why it's fun - the challenge.
The problem with DFS is... it is "gambling" and we all know this. If wagering money against others on how many real life points a team scores is "gambling", so is betting on how many fantasy points a collection of players will individually score. I'm not going to argue about whether this type of gambling should be illegal or legal (my opinion is legal), but I'm just pointing out that it's a really hard argument to make that those two types of wagering on the outcome of games (teams vs. individual players) is different.
It is certainly a game of skill, but so was online poker... I'm pretty worried about the future of DFS.
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karmarooster
Footballguy
100% agree. The DK ads are professional looking whereas the FD ads look like cheap infomercials. They obviously went very, very different routes. Pretty sure Ed Norton is the narrator for the DK commercials. They are somewhat humorous and well shot with a nice camera. They are a step up from the silly, older DK commercials with the dude in his thrown chair in a mansion. The new ads are something Don Draper would be proud of.
The FD ads are very utilitarian, showing you how to click on players and build a lineup. (if you watch carefully, I think the guy just clicks on Aaron Rodgers, Laveon Bell, Antonio Brown... wow, it's so easy!) However, they really go through the process of showing you: here's a list of players, they have prices, click on them and build a team. Reminds me of a bad AOL commercial from way back. Whereas the DK commercial in some way gets to piggy back off of that mechanical display, they don't have to show the process, and focus on the thought process/emotional content. It intrigues the viewer, rather than dumbing down for the viewer.
I think most of the "hatred" out there is for the FD commercials. I don't think people actual hate the DK commercials, because they're kinda funny and look nice. I legit hate the FD commercials and they piss me off every time.
Kinda funny that DK is basically at fault for screwing the pooch on this whole scandal (thanks, Ethan!) whereas FD is at fault for the ad backlash.
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Tennessee_ATO
Footballguy
Yeah, the FD ads are beyond horrible, but I assumed the target audience may respond well to them. I probably overestimated FD's marketing department.
jabarony
Footballguy
I find it strange that DK puts their most infamous employee in one of their ads.
That fat guy jumping off the couch to throw an embarrassing air-punch is Ethan winninng his $350k, right?
GreenNGold
Footballguy
DK's newest ads aren't as bad but theirs were by far the most obnoxious ones. I just ignore them.
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Fantasysports1
Footballguy
John Lee
Footballguy
No, that is not him. That guy looks nothing like Ethan, actually.
Furthermore, Ethan won $350K on FD, not DK...while the marketing department at these sites is less than stellar (as most of us agree), I think we can also agree that DK would never show live footage from a FD contest on their own commercial.
Wadsworth
Footballguy
bagger
Footballguy
doesnt mean he didn't have access prior to the excel sheet when he submitted.
Not in anyway re-bagger here
Ya know, people act like they hired their brother to do an investigation. They hired some lawyer's company that whose name had such merit that the US Attorney General's office and FBI paused and said let's wait and see what that company finds.
They deserve some credit there. Earned some of the "shady" thinking back from all their detractors.
Now they are being investigated by US gov't, NY, and Massachusetts' alphabet soup which has to be as much nitpicking as is possible. If the previous didn't "win" anybody back, ya gotta leave a little window open where it's like "OK if alphabet soup of gov't investigated and you were on the 'up and up' then I guess you are."
Most of the upset people wanted a line drawn in the sand type investigation. They got it.
While most seem to be rubbing their hands together in anticipation of evil, there needs to be some consideration given if everything is legit here. Ya gotta leave that door open a crack
jabarony
Footballguy
It seems all they did was not find a smoking gun during their investigation. That doesn't mean there weren't misdeeds going on - just that none were found. I'm also not sure why they would use the word "impossible". I'm guessing accessing a database 2 hours before officially downloading it doesn't fall under the realm of an impossibility. Hell, there's probably some teenagers in Russia who could do so in a few hours. And they don't even have Draft Kings IDs.
... and why is Ethan Haskell even accessing/downloading this file, anyways? Perhaps this investigation report (tweet!) could have mentioned that. Not very convincing.
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SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
How do you think casinos came to be legalized? And cigarette taxes? Alcohol taxes?
Government bans vice.... until it becomes convinced that it can make money off that vice. In Louisiana, organized crime had been running gambling operations since the 1930s when Huey Long connected with Frank Costello to basically expand into Louisiana, and that organized crime association, which at some point became corporate, was there to sell the video poker machines and open the truck stops and invest in the casinos when Edwin Edwards was governor and pushed legalization through. Edwards was eventually convicted of fraud for illegally pushing gambling licenses in the legislature. Eddie DeBartolo, owner of the 49ers, went down in that scam too btw.
With cigarettes the Surgeon General came to tell all of us that tobacco kills... so we outlawed it, right? No our state governments just decided that was ok as long as they got a piece of the action.
It's just the nature of the beast.
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I still think the result of what all of this taught us (including the gov't) is that it will be part of lottery as was proposed months back.
I'm sure FD and DK attorneys will be like that's your piece of the pie or have some counterargument as they get taxed but...I agree the gov't will not say turn away this much $ and shut everything down. Somehow someway they will get a hand in FD and DKs pockets.
