20 people charged in Connecticut scheme allegedly to defraud DraftKings

• DraftKings was allegedly defrauded by at least 20 people in Connecticut, according to local media detailed
• The case revolves around the use of fake Visa bank cards that were used to deposit money before requesting withdrawals to different bank accounts
• DraftKings continues to scale its offer across the United States

Sportsbooks are often targeted in class‑action lawsuits arguing that they have deployed deceptive practices and not fully disclosed the terms of a bonus, for example.

Yet, for all their faults, licensed operators are also frequently targeted by scammers, as the most recent case coming out of Connecticut, United States, shows.

DraftKings uses geolocation tech to flag alleged fraud against it

A scheme involving at least 20 Connecticut residents has been unveiled by authorities, with the suspects alleged to have defrauded DraftKings, a prominent sportsbook that operates nationally.

The case was originally reported by the CT Insider, which ran a full list of the people charged so far in the case, as well as focused on some of the key alleged perpetrators, piecing together how the scheme worked.

The 20th defendant was charged on February 10, 2026, and identified as ElizabethRodriguez of Danbury. Authorities allege that the scheme defrauded DraftKings of more than $190,000 between August 4 and September 15, 2024, with fraudsters using fraudulent Visa cards and stolen credit card information to claim funds, wager them, and then withdraw any winnings.

DraftKings incurred bank chargebacks because of the fake Visa transactions, which alerted the company that something illicit was occurring.

Later, using geolocation and internal monitoring, the activity was linked to accounts associated with cities including Danbury, Newtown, Meriden, New Britain, and Hartford.

In official filings by the state Department of Consumer Protection’s Gaming Division, officers described the scheme as follows:

"The accounts typically deposited with newly added Visa cards, which were later determined to be fraudulent, followed by wagering through the funds in casino game play, and withdrawal to a different payment method found to be in the name of the suspect operating the account."

One of the individuals charged, Kelly Contreras of Waterbury, was arrested on December 29, 2025, after allegedly depositing approximately $5,800 into a DraftKings account in August 2024 and then requesting a withdrawal to a JPMorgan Chase bank account in her own name.

DraftKings enjoys a strong commercial boost

Contreras told investigators she had been approached by a man she knew, identified as ManuelPichardo, who told her he could make her money by using her DraftKings account.

After she created the account and deposited funds, Pichardo allegedly instructed her on how to transfer the proceeds to another account. The police are now looking for Pichardo, as well as another person of interest, one Luis Rodriguez.

This news comes on the back of heigihtened commercial activity for DraftKings, with the company launching its sportsbook in Puerto Rico only recently, and confirming a license in Arkansas.

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