Three members of Congress renewed pressure on FanDuel over its VIP sportsbook business, saying the company had not given satisfactory answers about how it handles its most valuable bettors. Their latest letter asked FanDuel to respond by Sept. 17 and also raised concerns about FanDuel Predicts, the company’s prediction-market product.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee said FanDuel had not explained how it vets and monitors VIP activity, whether account managers have encouraged problem gambling with celebrity-style videos, or what changes it would make after conduct they called indefensible. They said FanDuel appeared to be promoting addiction rather than actively protecting bettors, and argued that its commitment to customers rang hollow when it kept pushing harmful and addictive features such as VIP perks, constant push notifications and personalized promotions.
As reported in August, the same trio had already pressed FanDuel to end the VIP program after a Bryce Harper Cameo video sent to a bettor with a gambling addiction drew scrutiny. In that earlier complaint, the lawmakers said Terry Thompson wagered $18.5 million and lost more than $1.5 million on FanDuel, and argued that the episode pointed to a broader failure in how sportsbooks market to vulnerable customers.
FanDuel’s Aug. 14 response said VIP operations sat inside the same responsible-gaming framework as the rest of the business, with extra training, compliance support and escalation processes for VIP account managers. The company said its responsible-gaming team monitored deposit and withdrawal history, increases in wager size, canceled withdrawals and in-app chat statements suggesting distress or a gambling problem. It also said its parent, Flutter Entertainment, spent $158 million on responsible gaming in 2025, about 3.5 million customers used the MySpend tool during the 2024-2025 NFL season, and any customer who disclosed a gambling problem was immediately and permanently excluded from every FanDuel product. The response pointed to the January launch of 'Play with a Plan,’ said FanDuel was a founding member of ROGA, and noted that members of that group had committed more than $20 million to the work.
FanDuel said VIP invitations were based on whether an account was active, in good standing and free of suspension, and on its history on the platform. It said VIP account managers were salaried rather than paid on wagering volume, received mandatory responsible-gaming training, and made regular touchpoints with customers about MySpend, limit setting, timeouts and self-exclusion. Every email they sent carried responsible-gaming language and access to the same tools, while all employees received training within 30 days of joining and on a yearly refresher cycle. The company also said it operated a licensed online sportsbook in 26 U.S. jurisdictions and had launched 'Real-Time Check-In’ in 2025 to flag deposits that did not fit a customer’s established pattern.
The lawmakers remained unconvinced and said FanDuel Predicts undermined or bypassed the rules that governed the company’s sportsbook services.
