The MLBPA informed federal lawmakers of its support for a ban on personalized athlete marketing in sportsbook VIP programs. This response comes as Congress investigates how a video of Bryce Harper ended up with a FanDuel customer struggling with gambling addiction.
Harper recorded a 21-second clip in 2024 through the celebrity messaging platform Cameo. A FanDuel VIP host then sent it to Terry Thompson, a Pennsylvania resident who had lost $1.5 million through the operator. Harper claims he was unaware that FanDuel intended to use the video as a reward for a customer dealing with gambling addiction.
A lawsuit filed by the Public Health Advocacy Institute in March against FanDuel and DraftKings states that Thompson considered suicide rather than disclose the extent of his losses to his family. The lawsuit alleges that both operators had given him VIP perks.
Lawmakers demanded corrective action from MLB, the MLBPA, and FanDuel on August 10. They described FanDuel’s VIP program as predatory and urged the company to end it. They also called on MLB and the MLBPA to prohibit players from participating in promotional work for gambling companies, citing a systemic failure in the deep relationship between leagues, teams, and sportsbooks.
In response, MLBPA’s general counsel Jeffrey Perconte stated that the union is willing to include a VIP marketing restriction in the collective bargaining agreement being negotiated with MLB. The current agreement allows players to appear in ads or make personal appearances for casinos, racetracks, or sportsbooks as long as they do not promote betting on baseball directly. Perconte acknowledged that this framework does not directly address VIP-style programs like the one described by lawmakers but stated the union is prepared to submit proposals to address this gap.
FanDuel, in its response to lawmakers, mentioned that it offers bettors tools to limit their wagering amounts and frequency and reviews a customer’s betting history before granting VIP status. Cory Fox, a senior vice president at the operator, noted that VIP account managers are salaried employees, meaning their compensation is not tied to their customers’ wagering activity outcomes. The response did not address whether VIP staff had sent similar personalized videos featuring other athletes or public figures to customers.
The article also discusses the rise of sportsbook partnerships in professional sports since the legalization of sports wagering by the US Supreme Court in 2018. It revealed that 15 of MLB’s 30 franchises now have sponsorship or partnership deals with betting operators, with ownership groups of teams like the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers investing in prediction-market trading platforms like FutureSports.
Additionally, the union proposed banning proposition bets and event contracts tied to individual player performance in MLB, citing higher rates of problem gambling and harassment faced by players and their families from bettors. Pennsylvania lawmakers are drafting legislation to restrict or eliminate sportsbook VIP programs and in-game microbetting. The state’s Gaming Control Board is also reviewing the Harper video.
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