MLBPA Says MLB Has No Interest in Player Prop Betting Ban, According to Report

• Counsel for the MLBPA recently reported MLB has no interest in supporting a player prop betting ban
• The MLBPA made its thoughts know on the subject in a recent letter to Congress
• The association also says it is open to banning players from participating in VIP sports betting marketing

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The MLB Players Association is open to accepting bans on player prop betting, but reports Major League Baseball may be hesitant to do so.

According to a recent report from the Philadelphia Inquirer, legal counsel for the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) told members of Congress it is also open to a complete ban on player prop betting, but Major League Baseball (MLB) has not been on board with the plan.

MLBPA General Counsel Jeffrey Perconte revealed this in an Aug. 24 letter sent to Congress, where the MLBPA also reported it supports prohibiting players from participating in marketing campaigns or sponsoring sports betting VIP programs in the wake of a recent controversy involving Bryce Harper and a FanDuel VIP host

Responding to Congressional Questions

The MLBPA responded to a letter from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Reps. Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and Valerie P. Foushee (D-N.C.), urging both the MLBPA and MLB to end the practice of allowing professional baseball players to participate in VIP sports betting program sponsorships.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer report, Perconte noted the MLBPA proposed a joint effort with MLB to player prop bets and event contracts related to a player’s in-game performance. MLB, however, rejected the proposal.

“And while MLB has thus far rejected this proposal, we intend to continue pursuing it,” Perconte wrote in the letter.

The current bargaining agreement, which expires in December, allows players to participate in sponsorships with sportsbook and casinos, as long as they do not encourage customers to participate in sports betting. In the MLBPA letter to Congress, Perconte said the association is open to restrictions in the next collective bargaining agreement to ban players from appearing in VIP sports betting program marketing.

The Congress members letter to the associations referenced a FanDuel VIP host sending a personalized 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.”

FanDuel Responds to Congress as Well

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

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.

“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.