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Congress Demands Answers After FanDuel Used Bryce Harper Cameo in VIP Reward

The lawmakers’ letters seek to stop VIP tiers that use personalized player content to target vulnerable bettors.

Overview

  • Three Democrats in Congress sent letters to FanDuel, Major League Baseball and the MLBPA on Monday demanding answers and asking for changes to sportsbook VIP practices.
  • The letters call on FanDuel to end its VIP program and ask MLB and the union to prohibit players from participating in personalized sportsbook marketing as part of collective bargaining talks.
  • Bryce Harper recorded a 21-second Cameo message in November 2024 that he says he thought was a private fan greeting and that he would not have made had he known it would be used as a FanDuel promotional reward.
  • A lawsuit by the Public Health Advocacy Institute alleges FanDuel and DraftKings used VIP perks such as tickets, travel and celebrity access to encourage heavy wagering by customers who later lost large sums.
  • FanDuel says it trains employees to spot problem gambling and is reviewing consumer protections while the lawmakers set an Aug. 24 deadline for formal responses and litigation continues.