FanDuel Defends VIP Program, Responsible Gaming Measures in Letter to Congress

• FanDuel has responded to three Congress members who asked the gaming company to do away with VIP programs
• A letter sent to Congress members defended FanDuel’s VIP program and responsible gaming measures
• Cory Fox, Senior VP, Public Policy and Sustainability, noted in the letter that Flutter invested $158 million in responsible gaming measures last year alone

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FanDuel is defending its responsible gaming practices and VIP programs in a letter sent today to three Congress members who recently requested the gaming company do away with its VIP sports betting program.

Sports Betting Dime acquired a copy of a FanDuel letter sent to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Reps. Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and Valerie P. Foushee (D-N.C.) from an industry source, in response to the Congress members concerns regarding the company’s VIP sports betting program and responsible gaming practices.

In the letter, Cory Fox, Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Sustainability, defended FanDuel’s responsible gaming practices and highlighted a $158 million investment from its parent company, Flutter Entertainment, on responsible gaming just last year.

Congress Members Asking For Answers

Blumenthal, Tonko and Foushee this week sent letters to MLB and MLBPA urging the associations to end the practice of allowing professional baseball players to participate in VIP sports betting program sponsorships, according to reports from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Their letter referenced a FanDuel VIP host sending a personalized Bryce Harper video to customer Terry Thompson in November 2024.

Thompson allegedly lost $1.5 million on the platform over the course of several years. Thompson received the video as part of a perk for being a member of FanDuel’s VIP sports betting program. The Inquirer received a copy of the video from Thompson’s lawyer, who filed a lawsuit against both FanDuel and DraftKings earlier this year, alleging the companies used their games and VIP programs to keep Thompson gambling despite an obvious addiction.

Harper released a public comment on the incident in July, reporting that he did not know the video would be used for a commercial purpose. He also posted the Cameo contract he received from the FanDuel rep on his personal Instagram account.

The three U.S. Congress members described VIP programs as “dangerously designed to distract bettors, including those struggling with a gambling addiction, from their financial losses and entice further destructive gambling – especially when they are attempting to quit.”

According to the Inquirer, the Congress members also requested FanDuel cease its VIP sports betting program and sent eight questions to FanDuel President Christian Genetski regarding the company’s responsible gaming measures, asking for responses by Aug. 24.

Fox responded to the request and noted that FanDuel was alerted to the Congress members letter by a media outlet on Monday, Aug. 10. FanDuel sent a letter to the Congress members today, in which it gave insight into its responsible gaming practices and VIP programs.

“At FanDuel, we are committed to operating in an accountable and transparent manner because we believe it is core to the sustainability and success of our business over the long run. FanDuel Sportsbook is an entertainment experience that connects our customers to the games they love, and we want our players to enjoy that experience for months and years to come.”

“This commitment, however, is not self-policed. Sports wagering is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the United States, and FanDuel operates a licensed online sportsbook in 26 U.S. jurisdictions. Each of those licenses carries comprehensive requirements governing how we promote responsible gaming, monitor customer behavior, and respond to signs of harm, and we work closely with our state regulators to meet, and in many areas exceed, those requirements,” Fox wrote.

In the letter, Fox wrote that FanDuel is committed to operating in an accountable and transparent manner, as it is core to sustainability and success over its business in the long run.

FanDuel Customers Have RG Tools at Hand

Fox highlighted FanDuel’s “Play with a Plan” gaming campaign, launched in January 2026, to help customers assess their gaming habits and provide accountable guidance for responsible play.

“Based on customer research, the program works to reframe the conversation around responsible gaming by treating it like any other smart habit. The campaign leverages a multi-channel strategy that includes television, programmatic, social, and audio, with high-impact placements to maximize effectiveness. This comprehensive marketing investment reflects FanDuel’s commitment to treating responsible gaming as a core platform feature worthy of significant support and something that every customer should incorporate into their experience,” he wrote.

Each FanDuel customer is provided the following set of tools to help them stay in control of their play, Fox reported:

• Deposit alerts
• Deposit limits
• Wager limits
• Maximum wager size limits
• Loss limits
• Time limits
• Player activity statements

Beyond player tools, FanDuel’s Responsible Gaming team proactively monitors customer behavior on all its platforms, including deposit and withdrawal history, increase in wager size, cancelled withdrawals, and statements customers make through in-app chat. When any risks are identified, Fox wrote, the team proactively reaches out with actions ranging from education to a mandatory limit, temporary suspension, and permanent exclusion.

FanDuel’s VIP Program Operates Within RG Framework

FanDuel’s VIP program, Fox stressed, does not operate outside the company’s responsible gaming framework. VIP members do not have a “different set of rules” than other customers.

Additionally VIP hosts are salaried, he wrote, and their compensation is not tied to customer wagers or the result of their betting activities.

“One objective is to provide a positive customer experience so that these customers continue to choose FanDuel instead of our competitors. The program operates within the same responsible gaming framework that applies across FanDuel, with additional training, compliance support, and escalation processes for the employees who serve VIP customers. Employees who are primarily responsible for engaging with VIPs—VIP Account Managers—are salaried employees. Their compensation is not tied to how much their customers wager or the results of those customers’ wagering activities,” Fox said.

Before a customer is even granted VIP status, FanDuel confirms the customer’s account is active, in good standing, free of any suspension, and reviews the customer’s history on the platform, Fox noted.

“VIP customers also have regular responsible gaming touchpoints through their Account Managers. Managers proactively discuss tools such as MySpend, limit setting, timeouts, and self exclusion, and every email they send includes responsible gaming language and direct access to FanDuel’s responsible gaming tools. Interactions between VIP customers and Account Managers also provide FanDuel with additional means to identify signs of problematic play that may not be readily apparent with customers that do not participate in the program,” he wrote.

Player Protection Encompasses FanDuel’s Strategy

FanDuel, Fox wrote, shares the goal of each of the Congress members to ensure its products, tools, and safeguard protect its customers.

“FanDuel was built with its customers in mind, and that shows up in what we invest, not just what we say. Responsible gaming is not an add-on to the FanDuel experience. It is embedded into the platform itself, from the moment a customer first creates an account through every interaction that follows,” he noted.

The company, Fox reminded the Congress members, is a founding member of the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA), an association of leading online gaming operators in the U.S.

“ROGA leads industry research and consumer education campaigns and is working to raise responsible gaming standards more broadly. Its work includes an independent data clearinghouse that would let member operators share self-excluded customer lists to strengthen protections industry-wide, and a responsible gaming certification standard that requires third-party audit. ROGA members have committed more than $20 million to fund this work, reflecting a shared commitment to a safe and responsible industry.”