Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee have demanded that FanDuel turn over every personalized athlete and celebrity video sent to VIP bettors, alongside records showing how the recipients were screened for gambling harm. In an Oct. 6 letter to FanDuel chief executive Christian Genetski, the lawmakers set an Oct. 20 deadline for a response.
The request followed FanDuel’s Sept. 24 response, in which senior vice president Cory Fox said the company had sent about 30 videos featuring athletes and entertainers during the preceding two years as a token of appreciation for customer loyalty. The lawmakers said this practice conflicted with FanDuel’s assertion that it had not used personalized videos or messages to induce customers to keep gambling.
For each video, the three lawmakers sought the recipient’s prior wagering, wins and losses, and any request to suspend an account or limit gambling. They also asked why the VIP host chose the bettor, what safeguards were applied to assess vulnerability and which service was used to obtain the video.
The letter further asks whether each athlete or celebrity understood that the message would promote gambling or be connected to FanDuel. It seeks a description of the data and behaviours used in the company’s automated and manual reviews for potential gambling harm, and whether that information was also used to target customers with videos, push notifications, promotions, retention bonuses or other perks.
The lawmakers said FanDuel had not adequately answered questions they first raised on Sept. 3 about reports that its VIP programme repeatedly targeted problem gamblers with predatory perks. The Oct. 6 letter follows the lawmakers’ Sept. 3 renewal of pressure on FanDuel over unanswered VIP-program questions, as we reported at the time.
The inquiry grew out of a November 2024 video from Philadelphia Phillies player Bryce Harper sent to FanDuel customer Terry Thompson by a VIP host. The 21-second Cameo message said Thompson’s host wanted him to have an “extra special Thanksgiving.” TechCrunch reported in July that Thompson’s lawsuit alleged he had wagered $18.5 million with FanDuel since 2020, took out second and third mortgages, lost his home to foreclosure and sought psychiatric treatment for gambling addiction.
Harper said he did not know the Cameo video would be used in a FanDuel VIP promotion and had no affiliation with the company. The Major League Baseball Players Association subsequently said it would support a ban on athletes making personalized videos for sports-betting operators.
FanDuel previously said its VIP programme offered a higher level of customer service, rather than a different set of rules, and operated within its responsible-gaming framework. The company said it reviews customers’ platform history, responsible-gaming notes, fraud and chargeback records, and promotion abuse before extending VIP invitations. It also said its responsible-gaming team monitors deposit and withdrawal history, larger wagers, cancelled withdrawals and in-app messages indicating distress, with options including limits, temporary suspension and permanent exclusion when risk is identified.
