FanDuel: Athlete VIP Videos Not Sent to Induce Sports Betting

• According to a FanDuel letter sent to Congress, about 30 videos involving athletes or entertainers were sent to customers in last two years
• FanDuel noted the videos were sent as customer-appreciation gestures and not commissioned or sent to induct continued gambling
• The operator responded to an inquiry from three Congress members asking for more information on the videos

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In a recent letter sent to Congress, FanDuel Senior Vice President Cory Fox reported that 30 videos involving athletes or entertainers sent to VIP customers over the last two years were for “customer-appreciation” purposes and were not sent to induce continued gambling.

As first reported by InGame, FanDuel responded to a recent inquiry from Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Reps. Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and Valerie P. Foushee (D-N.C.) requesting additional information on the 30 videos sent to VIP customers over the last two years.

“The Cameos were obtained as customer-appreciation gestures and were not commissioned or sent to induce continued gambling,” Fox wrote.

No Inducement to Gamble

The Congress members recently “demanded” the company provide copies of each of the personalized videos as well as information about whether the videos were sent to problem gamblers. 

“Like customer-loyalty programs in many industries, the VIP program is intended to provide enhanced service and encourage customers who choose to wager to use FanDuel rather than another platform. FanDuel remains committed to ensuring that customer-appreciation efforts operate consistently with its responsible gaming obligations and internal controls,” Fox wrote.

The personalized gestures, Fox wrote, are subject to the company’s “broader responsible gaming framework.” This framework includes automated and manual tools to identify customers who may exhibit gambling-related harm, such as real-time check-ins and machine learning to flag deposits that are inconsistent with a customer’s established deposit patterns, Fox noted.

“FanDuel’s VIP Account Managers are trained to recognize potentially concerning customer statements, ranging from request for exclusion to language suggesting a risk of self-harm, and to escalate them promptly to FanDuel’s Responsible Gaming team,” he wrote.

FanDuel has now publicly responded to three requests for more information regarding their VIP program from the Congress members.

In their letter, the Congress members requested copies of each of the 30 videos sent to customers over the last two years, plus a description of the circumstances in which they were sent to customers. Plus, Blumenthal, Tonko, and Foushee requested information related to the customer’s total wagering activity, if the customer ever requested to suspend their account or limit their gambling, the reason the VIP host sent the video, what steps the VIP host took to ensure the bettor was not a problematic gambler, and what service was used to obtain the video.

“Finally, the separate requests in your letter seek highly sensitive account-level information, including individual wagering history, wins and losses, requests to limit play, and responsible gaming reviews. FanDuel has obligations to protect its customers’ personal and financial information, which it intends to continue to respect,” Fox wrote.

Back-and-Forth Continues

FanDuel and the three Congress members have engaged in a back-and-forth since the summer.

The politicians sent letters to MLB and MLBPA in early August, 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 Congress members then requested FanDuel cease its VIP sports betting program in a letter sent to the company on Aug. 10