Lawmakers Demand FanDuel End VIP Program Over Harper Video

Sen. Richard Blumenthal and two House Democrats demanded on Aug. 10 that FanDuel shut down the VIP rewards program that assigns personal hosts to its highest-spending customers.

The demand follows reporting that a FanDuel VIP manager commissioned a personalized video from Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper for Terry Thompson, a Pennsylvania bettor the lawmakers say lost $1.5 million on the app. VIP hosts are staff assigned to heavy gamblers, offering tickets, gifts and bonuses to keep them wagering.

Lawmakers Set an Aug. 24 Deadline

Blumenthal, of Connecticut, wrote alongside Reps. Paul Tonko of New York and Valerie Foushee of North Carolina. Their letter to FanDuel Chief Executive Christian Genetski poses eight questions, including whether VIP managers sent celebrity videos to other gamblers.

The letter says VIP managers cultivate "false friendships" with customers to draw more bets out of them, according to multiple news reports.

A second letter went to MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred and Bruce Meyer, interim executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. It asks five questions and seeks a ban on players in sportsbook marketing.

We write to demand an end to the MLB and MLBPA policies that enabled this type of predatory promotion.

That line opened the case to the league and the union. Both letters seek answers by Aug. 24.

FanDuel did not commit to ending the program, saying customer protection informs its decisions. MLB and the union declined to comment to ESPN.

Harper has said he recorded the Cameo message in November 2024 believing it was a holiday greeting, a consent dispute that surfaced in July.

A Philadelphia Suit Tests What Sportsbooks Owe Bettors

Thompson is a plaintiff in a product liability suit filed on March 24 by the Public Health Advocacy Institute, a nonprofit legal group, against DraftKings, FanDuel, Genius Sports and the NFL.

FanDuel and DraftKings asked the Philadelphia court to throw the case out on July 15, arguing they owe no duty to protect customers from their own lawful betting. Those objections are still pending, with no hearing date announced.