FanDuel stops accepting deposits in New York after cease and desist letter

FanDuel has stopped accepting deposits on their website from users in New York following a Tuesday cease and desist letter, the company announced on Friday.

FanDuel has stopped accepting deposits on their website from users in New York following a Tuesday cease and desist letter, the company announced on Friday.

Contests across all sports will run as scheduled this weekend, and New Yorkers are free to withdraw funds at any time.

“We are honored to have helped build this community of fantasy players and will exhaust all legal options in our pursuit to continue to be a part of your lives,” FanDuel said in a statement. “As such, it is with great disappointment that we will begin the process of limiting access to users located in New York while we pursue the opportunity to be heard in Court.”

On Tuesday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ordered FanDuel and DraftKings to stop accepting bets in New York, ruling that the daily fantasy sports games are in violation of the state’s gambling laws.

However, the two companies are suing Schneiderman, arguing that skill is involved in the setting of lineups on the sites, which they believe should exempt them from classification as gambling games.

Hours before news of the lawsuit, a few hundred people gathered outside the Attorney General’s office to protest his ruling.

- Kenny Ducey