Lawmakers pressed FanDuel to end its VIP betting program after reports that a personalized Bryce Harper video had been used as a gambling reward for a Pennsylvania customer. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Paul D. Tonko and Valerie P. Foushee sent letters to FanDuel chief executive Christian Genetski, MLB commissioner Robert D. Manfred and MLBPA interim executive director Bruce Meyer, asking for a review of loyalty programs and athlete-promotion policies.
As reported in July, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board had already said it was reviewing the Bryce Harper clip after it surfaced. The latest letters say the video was sent in late 2024 to Terry Thompson, who wagered $18.5 million with FanDuel and lost more than $1.5 million. The lawmakers said the message wished him an “extra special Thanksgiving” and referred to his son, and that it was prepared at the request of his VIP manager and meant to entice more gambling.
Harper has said he did not know the recording would be used in a gambling promotion and would not have made it if he had known. The lawmakers also said Thompson was already in severe financial distress, had taken out several mortgages on his home and sold shares of his business to keep betting.
In the letters, the senators and representatives argued that current MLB rules allow players to appear in sportsbook, casino and racetrack promotions only if they do not encourage betting on baseball. They described the arrangement as a systemic failure rooted in the deep enmeshment between leagues and sportsbooks, and said FanDuel should not use loyalty programs to drive bettors into debt and addiction.
FanDuel declined to end its VIP program. The company said customer protection informs every decision it makes and that it uses monitoring systems and trained specialists to detect and respond to harmful gambling behavior. MLB and the MLBPA did not respond, according to reporting on the letters. The lawmakers asked FanDuel to answer eight questions by Aug. 24 and pressed MLB and the MLBPA to revisit promotion rules as they renegotiate their collective bargaining agreement.
