A trio of U.S. lawmakers are not satisfied with FanDuel’s response to an inquiry into the sports betting operator’s VIP program.
- The lawmakers want FanDuel to send them copies of around 30 celebrity videos used for its VIP program.
- Blumenthal, Tonko, and Foushee say FanDuel contradicted itself in a response to the group.
- The Congressional inquiry stems from a Cameo video Bryce Harper sent to a gambling addict.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Paul Tonko (D-New York), and Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) released a statement on Tuesday “demanding FanDuel to provide full videos and information about whether personalized celebrity messages were used to exploit vulnerable consumers.”
FanDuel claims the personalized videos they sent to bettors featuring athletes & celebrities weren’t used to entice gambling. Well, FanDuel let’s see the receipts. I’m demanding these videos & more info about how the VIP programs target problem gamblers. https://t.co/2Gz7t3p1gF
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 7, 2026
Following a Congressional request in August about a video sent by Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper to FanDuel customer Terry Thompson, who’s suing the operator for fueling his problem gambling, the lawmakers want to know if more personalized messages were used to “entice addicts to further gamble.”
“While FanDuel claimed it ‘has not used personalized videos or messages to induce customers to continue gambling,’ that statement is clearly contradicted by the fact that the video of Mr. Harper that gave rise to these concerns was sent to an individual that had lost $1.5 million on bets on your platform,” Blumenthal, Tonko, and Foushee wrote in the letter.
Not enough information
FanDuel sent a response letter just days later, defending its VIP program. The lawmakers told FanDuel on Sept. 3 that it didn’t answer the group’s questions. The sports betting operator responded on Sept. 24, telling lawmakers that it has sent around 30 celebrity videos to customers as a “token of appreciation.”
Even though FanDuel said the personalized messages weren’t used to further problem gamblers, Blumenthal, Tonko, and Foushee questioned if the perk still targeted addicts.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account“In addition, FanDuel claims to monitor a range of behaviors through ‘automated and manual proactive reviews to identify players who may be experiencing gambling harm,’ yet does not provide a full picture of how it uses this information, including whether that same data is used to target bettors with such predatory promotions.”
List of demands
In Tuesday’s letter, Blumenthal, Tonko, and Foushee requested a list of demands, asking FanDuel to respond by Oct. 20.
The lawmakers want a copy of each personalized video sent by the operator, along with betting receipts (wins and losses) for the customers. They also want to know if the customer ever asked for self-exclusion and reasons for FanDuel adding those bettors to the VIP program, as well as specifics on how those accounts were handled.
Blumenthal, Tonko, and Foushee want to know how much the athletes and celebrities used in the videos knew about how the messages were being used. The lawmakers demanded “data and behaviors monitored in FanDuel’s screening process for problem gambling, and whether that same information is used to target bettors with personalized videos, push notifications, promotion, retention bonuses, and any other perks,” according to the letter.
‘No affiliation’
FanDuel came under fire after reports surfaced that Harper sent a video in November 2024 to a customer who had filed a lawsuit against FanDuel and DraftKings for using incentives, like tickets to games, to entice wagering.
Harper denied knowing that the video, which he uploaded through a celebrity message site called Cameo, would be sent to a FanDuel customer with a gambling problem. Harper received the request from FanDuel VIP host “Bryttanni,” and he claims that the sportsbook used its own logo and used the video as a gambling promotion without his consent.
“I did not know the Cameo video would be used for a FanDuel VIP promotion, and I have no affiliation with FanDuel whatsoever,” Harper stated in an Instagram post in July. “What happened here went beyond anything I knew about or approved.”
In late August, the Major League Baseball Players Association said it would support banning its athletes from making personalized videos for sports betting operators.
