DraftKings sees the light: bans third-party scripts, labels high-volume players

Daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings has begun instituting overdue consumer protection guidelines, including a ban on the use of third-party scripting tools and tagging a scarlet letter on high-volume players.

On Friday, DraftKings customers received emails announcing that the site would introduce a new bespoke lineup creation tool. The site also announced that it would “prohibit the use of scripts and other automated means of interacting with our site” as of Jan. 29.

The company says it is “committed to providing competitive and entertaining contests for our players while ensuring transparency of the daily fantasy sports industry.” More cynical observers are noting that DraftKings embraced its newfound commitment to transparency only after the industry came under sustained regulatory and legal pressure in multiple states.

It was only last July that DraftKings modified its terms of service to permit third-party scripting tools, leading much of the community to accuse the company of catering to its high-volume customers, from whom DraftKings earns a significant chunk of its revenue.