FanDuel Sportsbook reportedly told CBS it “suspended” a man the network interviewed for a sports betting segment. The bettor criticized the sports gambling industry, comparing it to drugs. He also described gambling behavior associated with at-risk gambling during the viral CBS Sunday Morning report.
On Tuesday, CBS’ Jim Axelrod updated his earlier reporting: “FanDuel told us it has sophisticated protections in place to spot problem gambling, but the company only notified Esteban Ruiz-Haynes this past Sunday that his account was being suspended, and only after he appeared in a story of ours.”
Possible Addiction
Ruiz-Haynes, a 29-year-old from Virginia, told CBS he wagers around $100,000 each year, though he didn’t disclose his losses. He admitted to CBS that he might have an addiction.
Ruiz-Haynes declined to comment when GamblingHarm.org contacted him, but confirmed he could no longer use FanDuel. He described himself as a “professional gambler” on his Instagram profile.
The segment featured him making several bets on the NFL.
“I know my limits, I can control myself,” Ruiz-Haynes said after declining to deny he had an addiction.
Cutting People Off?
The incident raises questions about what it takes for someone to be cut off from gambling on the platform.
CBS reported that FanDuel said it did the “proactive removal of 5,700 people from our platform for responsible gaming reasons” in 2025. FanDuel did not define “responsible gaming reasons.”
The “proactive” language appears to refer to operator-initiated exclusions rather than customers who voluntarily self-excluded, but GamblingHarm.org was unable to locate any regulator or Flutter disclosure that independently confirms the 5,700 total. CBS said FanDuel had about 18 million customers, though those aren’t all active users.
As CBS reported, Ruiz-Haynes said he gambled on sports every day and wagered more than his yearly income. He was reportedly suspended only after he appeared on national TV and compared sports betting to “crack in the 80s.”
It’s unclear if he will be able to return to the platform.
