Amazon outage disrupts FanDuel and DraftKings operations ahead of Monday Night Football

A major Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage on October 20 caused widespread service disruptions across the world, halting access to social media, banking, and gaming platforms, while also bringing several leading U.S. sports betting sites to a standstill just hours before Monday Night Football.

The interruption, described by AWS as an “operational issue,” took down parts of its cloud infrastructure early in the morning on the U.S. East Coast. Among the services affected were Snapchat, Roblox, and even institutions such as the UK’s tax and payments authority, HMRC.

However, one of the most vocal backlashes came from the gambling community, as millions of users were unable to access or withdraw funds from their betting accounts on platforms such as FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics Sportsbook.

FanDuel first acknowledged the problem at 9:38 a.m. (ET), writing on X: “We are aware that users are currently having trouble logging in and fully accessing our platform. Our team is actively investigating and working toward a resolution. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience in the meantime.”

Good morning. We are aware that users are currently having trouble logging in and fully accessing our platform. Our team is actively investigating and working toward resolution. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience in the meantime.

— FanDuel Customer Support (@FanDuel_Support) October 20, 2025

The company continued issuing updates throughout the day as services gradually resumed, later confirming at 11:31 p.m. that all sportsbook platforms were now live again.

DraftKings also reported technical difficulties, though they appeared to primarily affect withdrawals rather than the entire platform. “Good morning, everyone! Please note that some withdrawals are still slow to process due to the outage overnight. We appreciate the patience!” the company posted on X through its support account.

Good morning everyone!

Please note that some withdrawals are still slow to process due to the outage overnight. We appreciate the patience! 💰

— DraftKings Support (@DK_Assist) October 20, 2025

Fanatics Sportsbook users reported similar access issues, adding to a wave of online frustration. Many bettors complained about being locked out of their accounts or losing track of funds they had deposited or wagered just before the outage hit.

“Can't see the bet I just placed either. Always something. Took my money though,” one FanDuel user wrote in reply to the company’s post. Another added, “Yeah, my $70 balance has disappeared lmao.”

The timing of the disruption worsened user frustration, coinciding with the lead-up to Monday Night Football between the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons. Many fans found themselves unable to check or modify wagers as the game approached.

“Will Fanduel honor my bets?” one Reddit user asked. “I can see the transactions but not the slips.” Another said, “I just have $200 nowhere right now. My bet isn’t there, and my money is gone.”

According to Amazon, the technical issue was “fully mitigated” by 6:35 a.m. (ET), and “most operations [were] succeeding normally.” Yet, service delays persisted throughout the day as companies worked to restore full functionality.

Jake Moore, tech expert and security advisor at ESET, told the Daily Mail that the disruption appeared to be caused by an internal malfunction, though further details remain pending. “While a cyberattack can't be ruled out until AWS releases its full post-incident report, there's no current evidence of hacking, data breaches, or coordinated attacks,” he said.

With the U.S. sports betting industry expected to exceed $30 billion in wagers this NFL season, the temporary freeze reignited concerns over global dependence on Amazon’s cloud infrastructure.