(Photo by Daniel Bozarski/Getty Images for Spotify)
Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Representatives Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Valerie Fauci, D-N.C., are demanding that FanDuel return copies of approximately 30 personalized celebrity videos sent to VIP bettors, According to a letter released by Blumenthal’s office. On Tuesday.
The letter, addressed to FanDuel CEO Christian Janetsky, asks the sportsbook to disclose whether messages were sent to problem gamblers and gives the company until October 20 to respond.
Lawmakers first wrote to FanDuel after reports that its VIP program used a personal video message from Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper to target a man suffering from gambling addiction. In a September 24 response, FanDuel acknowledged sending “approximately 30 such videos of athletes and entertainers over the past two years” as “a token of appreciation for customer loyalty.”
Lawmakers rejected that framing. “While FanDuel claimed it did not ‘use personalized videos or messages to induce customers to continue gambling,’ this statement is clearly contradicted by the fact that the video of Mr. Harper that gave rise to these concerns was sent to a man who lost $1.5 million betting on its platform,” they wrote.
What lawmakers want to know
In addition to copies of each video, the letter asks FanDuel to detail the circumstances in which each message was sent. This includes how much each recipient had bet and had previously won or lost, whether the bettor had ever asked to suspend an account, block notifications or limit gambling, and why a VIP host chose to target that customer.
Lawmakers also want to know what steps the VIP hosts took to ensure that recipients were not predisposed to problem gambling or showing signs of significant harm or financial hardship, what service was used to obtain each video and how much each athlete or celebrity knew about the video’s connection to gambling or FanDuel.
The final request goes to FanDuel’s player-protection system. The company has said it “monitors behavior through automated and manual proactive reviews to identify players who may be harmed by gambling” and lawmakers asked whether the same data is used to target bettors with personalized videos, push notifications, retention bonuses and other sportsbook promos and perks.
“Despite FanDuel’s claims that these videos were not sent to entice destructive gambling, we are concerned that FanDuel’s VIP program and its benefits are used to exploit vulnerable bettors, particularly those suffering from gambling addiction,” the lawmakers wrote.
This investigation examines how sportsbooks market to their customers. RG.org reported last week that Fanatics could spend up to $1 billion on betting ads in 2027.