FanDuel VIP Video Puts MLB Gambling Rules Under Pressure
The dispute started with a short Cameo video. Bryce Harper recorded a greeting after receiving what appeared to be a standard request through the platform. He did not know FanDuel was behind it.
The sportsbook later sent the clip to Terry Thompson, a customer in its VIP program. Thompson has since sued FanDuel, saying the company kept encouraging him to gamble despite heavy losses.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee have now taken the case to MLB and the MLB Players Association. They want both organiяations to explain why current rules still leave room for betting companies to use active players in this type of promotion.
The Harper Video
Thompson received Harper’s message in November 2024. By that point, he had lost roughly $1.5 million betting through FanDuel, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. His VIP benefits also included tickets and other rewards.
Harper says he knew none of that. The Cameo request looked like a personal holiday message. After he recorded it, FanDuel added its own branding and delivered the video to Thompson.
Harper later said he would have declined the request if its purpose had been clear. He also said he had no endorsement agreement with FanDuel.
The lawmakers are not accusing Harper of knowingly taking part in the campaign. Their concern is with the rules around it. Under those rules, a sportsbook was able to obtain a message from an active MLB player and use it in direct communication with a high-value bettor. That is the point Congress now wants MLB and the union to address.
Current MLB Rules
The current collective bargaining agreement does permit players to enter certain promotional arrangements with gambling companies. The restriction is mainly tied to advertising or encouraging wagers on baseball itself.
Blumenthal, Tonko and Foushee argue that this leaves room for a different type of problem: personalized player content being used to retain high-value bettors.
Their intervention comes while MLB and the MLBPA are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. The current deal expires in December 2026. The union has also been discussing changes to player rights around sportsbook and prediction-market endorsements.
August 24 Deadline
The letter asks MLB and the union to explain their position on sportsbook endorsements, consumer safeguards and the use of players in gambling promotions. Five questions were submitted, with responses requested by August 24.
MLB and the MLBPA declined to comment to ESPN on the letter. The dispute now gives baseball a concrete marketing issue to address during its CBA talks. Existing rules concentrate heavily on whether a player promotes betting on baseball. The Harper case raises a different question: how far a sportsbook should be allowed to use an athlete’s name or personal message when dealing directly with a high-spending customer. Any new limits agreed by MLB could affect VIP marketing well beyond this single case.