According to Manganaro’s lawsuit, FanDuel would only let him cash out if he wagered that money. In gambling parlance, there was a “playthrough” requirement on his deposit.
The natural reaction to hearing about this is probably, “That’s bullshit! It’s his money, so they should let him withdraw it,” and that’s a reasonable take. FanDuel does, however, have a clause on their FAQ that reads, “The withdrawal process is intended only for winnings. If you would like a refund on one of your recent deposits, please contact our support team via chat or email below.”
So why would FanDuel have this policy? Why are customers committed to gambling all the money they deposit? Why can’t a customer change their mind (subject to contacting the support team)? The reason is money laundering. Put simply, it would be too easy for criminals to “wash” their money through a sportsbook by making a deposit, gambling a little bit for cover, then cashing out.
Manganaro doesn’t buy that, though. He claims that FanDuel has violated the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act by requiring him to wager his own money before letting him cash out. He also accuses FanDuel of fraud and civil conspiracy and wants the company to return any requested funds to players plus treble damages.
The lawsuit states that a major reason that he chose FanDuel was because the site promised he could “easily deposit and withdraw unused funds.