FanDuel Donates $250K to Help with LA Wildfire Relief Efforts

FanDuel has donated $250,000 to the ongoing relief efforts resulting from the ravaging wildfires in Los Angeles that have continued ablaze over the past two weeks.

Originally, the fire started on January 2 and has so far burnt through more than 17,000 acres displacing more than 100,000 people and leaving at least 24 dead. An estimated 90,000 residents are on high alert that they may need to evacuate as well.

Wildfires in Los Angeles Galvanize Gambling Companies into Action

The cost of the fires has now swelled to $275 billion according to early estimates, making the Flutter Entertainment-owned brand’s donation a drop in the ocean. Regardless, FanDuel has sent the funds to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and AmeriCares, as officials have been underprepared for what has been described as the worst natural disaster in the country.

FanDuel CEO Amy Howe has said that Los Angeles and its communities have been part of the company’s operations, adding that the company was determined to continue supporting affecting parties. FanDuel currently operates a 400-employee office in Los Angeles.

“We are committed to ensuring our employees are safe and making sure the community has the resources it needs to support the heroic efforts of our first responders,” Howe said.

Prominent Gambling Companies Follow Suite

Meanwhile, casino resorts in Las Vegas have said that they are ready to offer discounted prices to people who had to evacuate because of the wildfires in Los Angeles. Yet, these are not the only companies to have stepped up.

MGM Resorts employees have, for example, self-organizing, raising as much as $1 million that will go to the relief efforts. The company has responded in kind, allocating $1 million of its own money, sending the total to $2 million.

Plus, MGM Resorts is also part of the companies to have vowed to cut their room rates – by 35% in MGM’s case – to help evacuees with affordable housing.