Did A Florida Regulator Unethically Help FanDuel?

Florida’s sports betting industry was shaped by Louis Trombetta. He was the state’s first gaming regulator as the executive director of the Florida Gaming Control Commission from 2022 to 2024.

This coincided with the legalization of betting in-state. Through a compact with the state, Hard Rock became Florida’s sole sports betting license. This means the Native American casinos offer sports wagering in-person, but also through the popular mobile betting app, Hard Rock Bet.

Trombetta oversaw this rise — and the back-and-forth battle Hard Rock had to endure via lawsuits from third parties that didn’t want to be cut out of Florida’s booming market. In the end, Hard Rock won.

But they weren’t the only winner during Trombetta’s tenure. Another huge benefactor ended up being FanDuel. Not because of sports betting (FanDuel nor anyone else is allowed to offer it except Hard Rock), but through daily fantasy sports. However, this relationship between FanDuel and Trombetta is now under the microscope because the ex-director joined the company he helped. Huh? Yeah, keep reading and we’ll explain the heart of the matter in-depth.

How Trombetta Aided FanDuel

Let’s go back to 2022 when Trombetta first took the regulator position with Florida. One of his early wins was a “crackdown” of fantasy sports betting. He sent cease-and-desist letters to three upstart companies — PrizePicks, Underdog, and Betr — effectively forcing them to shut down operations in Florida.

His message was clear: fantasy sports betting, in his eyes, was illegal in the state. But you know who didn’t get the same letter? FanDuel, of course.

Matter of fact, Trombetta’s entire crusade felt like six years too late. Daily fantasy sports first came under scrutiny in 2016 when they first burst on the scene. Nowadays? Most regulators don’t even have them on their radar, which made Trombetta’s actions in 2022 a tad head-scratching.

But here’s where heads really turned: Trombetta resigned from the commission at the end of 2024 and took a job with FanDuel — the same company his actions as a regulator directly benefitted. Obviously, the optics of that don’t look good from the outside looking in.

For what it’s worth, FanDuel has said he cut off access to sensitive regulatory data before joining the company and pointed out that they aren’t technically regulated by Florida’s gaming commission. The games they offer in-state — only daily fantasy, not sports betting — don’t fall under the same legal definition of gambling. Trombetta has yet to respond to criticism, and yes, there’s plenty of that. We’ll cover that in the next section.

Lawmakers Push Bill To Curb Repeat Incidents

The uproar caught the attention of Florida Rep. John Snyder, a Republican from Palm City. In response, he filed a bill (HB 1467) that would prevent such a thing from happening again. If passed, it would prevent Florida’s gaming regulators from jumping straight into private-sector jobs with related companies for at least two years after leaving office. Snyder contends the bill isn’t so much about Trombetta (sure it’s not) but about keeping things fair and maintaining trust in the regulatory system.

The switching of jobs has put Trombetta under a microscope — and not just his latest actions, but also when he was the state’s regulator. When he cracked down on fantasy platforms, he claimed that all paid fantasy contests were illegal in Florida. He didn’t distinguish between traditional fantasy contests — where players draft rosters and compete against each other — and newer styles that resemble casino bets, like player-performance parlays. Instead, he took a hardline stance, saying everything outside of the state’s gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe was off-limits.

But if that’s the case, then FanDuel and DraftKings should’ve got the same cease-and-desist letters that smaller players got. Why didn’t they? That’s quite literally the million-dollar question.

Concerns About Trombetta Were Raised Before

It didn’t take jumping jobs for Trombetta to raise eyebrows. Back in 2023, State Sen. Joe Gruters raised red flags about the selective treatment. He even wrote to Trombetta directly, questioning why the biggest names in fantasy sports were being left alone. Trombetta reportedly assured him letters were on the way. They never came.

We also need to highlight what Trombetta is now up to. His title at FanDuel is director of government relations, a fancy way of saying he’s a lobbyist for the company. Sure enough, his past decisions now make his job a hell of a lot easier in the Sunshine State. Go figure.

Some view this whole fiasco as the natural growing pains that come with launching a new commission. Others think it’s a sign that Florida needs stronger rules to keep public servants from immediately jumping into roles where they might benefit from their previous government decisions. Whether the House bill passes or not will tell us where lawmakers stand on the debate.

So while Trombetta’s career pivot might not technically break any laws, it’s definitely sparked a conversation — one that could shape the future of fantasy sports in Florida for years to come.