An extensive outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) on October 20 resulted in significant service disruptions globally, blocking access to social media, banking, and gaming websites and seriously impacting numerous prominent U.S. sports betting platforms just hours prior to Monday Night Football.
Characterized by AWS as an “operational issue,” the service failure affected parts of its cloud infrastructure early in the morning for U.S. East Coast users. Among the disrupted services were Snapchat, Roblox, and even key institutions like the UK’s tax and payments authority, HMRC.
The loudest complaints erupted from the gambling sector, with millions unable to access or withdraw money from betting accounts on sites like FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics Sportsbook.
FanDuel first acknowledged the outage at 9:38 a.m. (ET) via X, stating: “We are currently aware of login issues affecting our platform. Our team is on it and working towards a resolution. Thank you for your understanding during this time.”
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 to provide updates as services were progressively restored, eventually announcing at 11:31 p.m. that all sportsbook functionalities were up and running again.
DraftKings also faced technical challenges, although these primarily seemed to impact withdrawals rather than the full platform. “Good morning, everyone! Some withdrawals are still delayed due to the overnight outage. Your patience is appreciated!” the company communicated via X from 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
Users of Fanatics Sportsbook experienced similar access problems, heightening online frustration. Many bettors expressed grievances about being unable to access their accounts or tracking funds they had deposited or wagered right before the outages occurred.
“I can’t see the bet I just placed either. Always something… but they took my money,” commented one FanDuel user. Another remarked, “Yeah, my $70 balance has vanished, lmao.”
The disruption’s timing exacerbated user dissatisfaction, coinciding with the lead-up to Monday Night Football featuring the San Francisco 49ers against the Atlanta Falcons. Many fans found themselves unable to check or modify their bets as kickoff approached.
“Will FanDuel honor my bets?” questioned a user on Reddit. “I can see the transactions but not the slips.” Another replied, “I just lost track of $200. The bet isn’t there, and my money seems to be gone.”
According to Amazon, the technical problem was “completely resolved” by 6:35 a.m. (ET), with “most operations [functioning] normally.” Nevertheless, service delays lingered through the day as companies aimed to restore complete functionality.
Jake Moore, a tech specialist and security advisor at ESET, stated to the Daily Mail that the disruption seemed to stem from an internal mishap, though further specifics are forthcoming. “While a cyberattack remains a possibility until AWS provides a full post-incident report, there’s no current evidence of hacking, data breaches, or coordinated attacks,” he added.
With the U.S. sports betting market projected to surpass $30 billion in wagers during this NFL season, the temporary halts have reignited discussions about our global reliance on Amazon’s cloud services.