Lawmakers Demand FanDuel Hand Over the 30 Celebrity Videos It Sent to VIP Bettors

Three Democrats want copies of every personalised athlete and entertainer video FanDuel has sent to VIP customers, and for each one, how much the recipient had lost and why the host chose them. FanDuel told them in September that it has no plans to suspend or end its VIP programme.

• Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representatives Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee wrote to FanDuel chief executive Christian Genetski on 6 October demanding copies of each personalised video the company has sent to VIP bettors, with a deadline of 20 October
• For each video they want the recipient's prior wagering and losses, whether that person had tried to limit their gambling, why the VIP host chose them, and whether the talent knew of the link to FanDuel
• FanDuel's 24 September reply, signed by Cory Fox, disclosed "approximately 30 such videos of athletes and entertainers over the last two years", sent as a token of appreciation for loyalty
• The lawmakers say FanDuel's denial that the videos induce gambling is "clearly contradicted" by the Bryce Harper video, sent to a customer they say had lost $1.5 million on the platform and who is suing FanDuel and DraftKings in Philadelphia
• It is the third letter since 10 August; FanDuel says it "has no plans to suspend or terminate" its VIP programme

Congress Asks for the Videos, the Losses and the Reasons

The three Democrats, Blumenthal of Connecticut, Tonko of New York and Foushee of North Carolina, wrote that "despite FanDuel's claims that these videos were not sent to entice destructive gambling, we remain concerned that FanDuel's VIP program and its perks are used to exploit vulnerable bettors, especially those suffering from a gambling addiction."

The requests are specific. For each video, the letter asks what the recipient had wagered and won or lost beforehand; whether they had ever asked to suspend their account, pause notifications or limit their gambling; why the VIP host targeted them; what the host did to check for vulnerability, significant losses or economic hardship; and which service supplied it. It also asks whether the data FanDuel uses to screen for problem gambling is used to target bettors with videos, push notifications, promotions and retention bonuses.

The lawmakers' central charge rests on FanDuel's own wording. "While FanDuel claimed it 'has not used personalized videos or messages to induce customers to continue gambling,' that statement is clearly contradicted by the fact that the video of Mr. Harper that gave rise to these concerns was sent to an individual that had lost $1.5 million on bets on your platform," they wrote.

What FanDuel Told Them on 24 September

FanDuel's reply came a week after the 17 September deadline set by the lawmakers' 3 September letter, whose eight questions included how many celebrity videos VIP managers had sent, whether the talent knew the purpose, and whether FanDuel would end the programme. Fox, its senior vice president for public policy and sustainability, wrote that "on occasion, FanDuel has arranged a personalized video message, almost always through publicly available services, as a token of appreciation for a customer's loyalty in choosing FanDuel over its competitors," and that it had sent about 30 in two years. The letter does not name the talent and does not say whether they knew how the videos would be used; FanDuel also declined to name them to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Fox said the programme serves "only a small fraction" of customers and exists so they choose FanDuel over rivals, including prediction markets. He said FanDuel does not offer perks to stop customers cutting back, though it "may seek to re-engage a customer whose activity suggests that the customer may have shifted play to another operator." The company, he wrote, "has no plans to suspend or terminate the program."

One Video, Several Fronts

The inquiry began after the Inquirer reported in July that a FanDuel VIP manager had sent Terry Thompson, a Montgomery County bettor, a Cameo greeting from the Philadelphia Phillies player in November 2024. The lawmakers say he wagered $18.5 million and lost over $1.5 million through FanDuel. Harper has said he did not know the video would be used commercially; Gaming America reports the host paid $899 for it through Cameo.

Thompson and a second bettor, Christopher Sage, are suing FanDuel, DraftKings, the NFL and Genius Sports in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, in a case brought in March by the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI). They allege compulsive in-game betting encouraged by VIP rewards. FanDuel has argued in preliminary objections that there is no duty of care to protect customers from their own lawful wagering, and that the dispute belongs in arbitration, according to the Inquirer. No ruling on those objections has been reported. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said in July it was reviewing the video, a New Jersey Assembly committee backed a resolution against advertising aimed at problem gamblers in September, and the MLB Players Association told Congress it would support banning players from personalised VIP marketing.

The Count Answered Half a Question and Invited Four More

When the lawmakers called FanDuel's August answers misleading and incomplete, one gap they named was the videos. FanDuel answered with a number and nothing else. That turned one incident into a disclosed practice of around 30 videos, and the follow-up asks for the records that would show whether Thompson's case was typical. A congressional letter is a request, not a subpoena, and FanDuel can again answer in aggregate. But a general answer will now look like the one already called incomplete, and the lawmakers have published every reply so far.

"Token of Appreciation" Is the Phrase Under Test

FanDuel's defence separates loyalty from inducement: the video thanks a customer for choosing FanDuel rather than urging them to bet more. Fox's own letter shows how thin that line is, since winning a customer's next wager from a rival is still winning the next wager. The data requested, losses before the video and whether the recipient had tried to cut back, would test the distinction case by case. Great Britain answered the question by rule: since 31 October 2020 the Gambling Commission has required operators to establish that spending is affordable and sustainable, check for signs of harm and verify source of funds before granting VIP status. Massachusetts regulators discussed similar options in October 2025, including a minimum VIP age of 25 and affordability checks.

Every Answer Now Travels

Whatever FanDuel sends by 20 October will not stay in Washington. Tonko and Blumenthal sponsor the SAFE Bet Act, which would set federal minimum standards on gambling marketing and affordability, and PHAI, which brought the Thompson lawsuit, joined them when they reintroduced it in March 2025. Per-video loss figures given to Congress would be read by plaintiffs, state regulators and the athletes and entertainers who recorded the clips. That is the case for answering narrowly, and why a narrow answer is unlikely to end the correspondence.

FanDuel has disclosed that the Harper video was one of about 30 and told Congress it will keep its VIP programme. Its next answer will show whether it is prepared to say what those 30 videos were for.