Three members of Congress on Monday demanded that FanDuel Sportsbook shut down its VIP rewards program, escalating a bryce harper betting controversy that has drawn scrutiny to how sportsbooks target vulnerable gamblers. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) and U.S. Reps. Paul D. Tonko (D., N.Y.) and Valerie P. Foushee (D., N.C.) also called on Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association to bar athletes from doing promotional work for gambling companies, according to the Inquirer.
The controversy stems from reporting by the Inquirer in July, which revealed that a FanDuel VIP manager sent a personal video greeting from Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper in 2024 to Terry Thompson, a Montgomery County resident battling a gambling addiction. Thompson ultimately lost $1.5 million betting through FanDuel, the Inquirer reported. Harper has said he recorded the 21-second message through the celebrity video service Cameo and did not know FanDuel intended to use it as a reward for a gambler.
In a letter to FanDuel CEO Christian Genetski, the three Democrats wrote that the company "should not be using reckless and unscrupulous loyalty programs to drive bettors into debt and addiction," and said they "strongly demand FanDuel to end its VIP program for bettors, especially those suffering from a gambling addiction, on its platform."
The lawmakers cited the Inquirer's reporting throughout their letter and posed eight questions to Genetski, including whether FanDuel VIP managers have sent videos from other athletes or celebrities to gamblers, and whether the company monitors those managers to prevent predatory offers to problem gamblers. They asked for a response by Aug. 24.
A Lawsuit and a Suicide Plan
According to a lawsuit filed in March by the nonprofit Public Health Advocacy Institute on Thompson's behalf, Thompson had planned to die by suicide earlier this year rather than tell his family the true scope of his gambling losses. The lawsuit names both FanDuel and DraftKings as defendants, alleging that DraftKings also provided Thompson with VIP perks.
Thompson has alleged that his FanDuel VIP host regularly asked about his family and provided him with tickets to two Super Bowls as well as champagne, according to the Inquirer. In their letter, the members of Congress wrote that VIP managers cultivate "false friendships" with gamblers specifically to entice them into placing additional bets, a practice they argue is at the heart of the harm Thompson experienced.
A FanDuel spokesperson, in an emailed statement, did not directly address the lawmakers' demand to end the VIP program. Instead, the spokesperson said the company uses a monitoring system designed to flag concerning betting patterns and employs "trained specialists" to assist gamblers who show signs of harmful behavior. "Customer protection informs every decision we make as an organization, and we do not compromise when it comes to doing the right thing for our customers," the spokesperson said.
Pressure on MLB and the Players Union
In a separate letter sent Monday, Blumenthal, Tonko, and Foushee wrote to MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred and Bruce Meyer, the players union's interim executive director, calling for "an end to the MLB and MLBPA policies that enabled this type of predatory promotion."
Under MLB's current collective bargaining agreement, which expires in December, players are permitted to appear in advertisements or make personal appearances for casinos, racetracks, or sportsbook companies, provided they do not encourage betting on baseball itself. The lawmakers characterized the absence of a broader prohibition as a "systemic failure... rooted in the deep enmeshment between leagues, teams, and sports books."
A representative for Major League Baseball declined to comment when reached Monday, and the MLBPA also declined to comment, according to the Inquirer. Notably, as part of ongoing negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement, the players union is reportedly pushing for even greater freedom for players to pursue endorsements from sportsbook operators and prediction markets, a development first reported by ESPN. That push stands in direct tension with the demands lawmakers made in their letter to the league and union.
The three lawmakers argued that MLB and the MLBPA "must not allow players, regardless of their level of awareness, to legitimize sportsbook VIP programs designed to exploit the most vulnerable fans" — language that appears aimed at shielding athletes like Harper, who say they were unaware their likeness would be used to target a struggling gambler, while still holding the leagues and companies accountable for the broader system.
A Broader Fight Brewing in Pennsylvania
The federal pressure on FanDuel comes as state lawmakers in Pennsylvania separately prepare legislation that would restrict or eliminate sportsbook VIP programs and in-game microbets, according to the Inquirer. Joe Maloney, president of the Sports Betting Alliance — a national advocacy group whose members include FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, bet365, and Fanatics — has said the organization will oppose that state-level effort.
The dual-track pushback, at both the federal and state level, signals that the bryce harper betting episode has become a flashpoint in a wider debate over how sportsbooks court high-value bettors, many of whom face significant financial and psychological risk. Thompson's case, in particular, has become a central example cited by critics who argue that VIP programs are designed less to reward loyal customers than to keep struggling gamblers hooked through personalized attention, gifts, and celebrity outreach.
Whether FanDuel will respond to the lawmakers' Aug. 24 deadline, or whether MLB and the MLBPA will address the specific practices flagged in the letters, remains to be seen. The Inquirer has said it will continue reporting on gambling addiction issues affecting both teens and adults across Pennsylvania, inviting readers with relevant experiences to contact its reporters directly.
