Lawmakers Press FanDuel Again After “Incomplete” Response on VIP Program

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and US Reps. Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and Valerie P. Foushee (D-NC) are asking FanDuel for more detail on how its invite-only VIP program works after saying the sportsbook’s earlier answers were incomplete. For high-risk operators and their payment partners, the subtext is obvious: VIP schemes are now being scrutinized not just as marketing, but as a possible harm vector.

1. The dispute follows FanDuel’s 2024 decision to send one VIP customer a personalized video message from Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper. In a legal filing against the sportsbook, the customer alleged he lost more than $1.5 million gambling through FanDuel’s mobile app. The filing also alleges that FanDuel used Harper’s video without his consent.
2. On August 10, Blumenthal, Tonko, and Foushee sent letters to FanDuel, MLB, and the MLB Players Association urging baseball to ban promotional partnerships with betting companies, including FanDuel, after the Bryce Harper controversy. Their eight questions included whether FanDuel planned to suspend or terminate its VIP program and whether VIP hosts are trained to build personal relationships with customers in order to encourage more gambling.
3. FanDuel replied on August 14, saying it remained committed to being “transparent and cooperative.” The company said it spent $158 million on responsible gaming initiatives in 2025 and that it conducts thorough reviews of customer accounts before granting access to its VIP program. Even so, the lawmakers said the response did not directly answer several of their questions.
4. In a new letter dated September 3, the lawmakers said FanDuel had failed to substantively respond to their congressional inquiry and had provided misleading and incomplete information about its VIP services and perks. They said they were not convinced the sportsbook was taking active steps to protect bettors from harmful gambling and instead appeared to be promoting addiction, according to the letter.
5. The letter also said FanDuel had not shown a meaningful commitment to customer well-being by imposing limits on what the lawmakers called exploitative and dangerous marketing and business practices. FanDuel has not yet responded to the new letter.

Separately, FanDuel recently added new sports betting products and features ahead of the upcoming NFL season. For operators, that is the usual split-screen: product expansion on one side, congressional scrutiny on the other.