Capitol Hill politicians have launched a sharp attack against MLB and FanDuel, demanding an immediate overhaul of marketing practices targeting high-stakes bettors.
The intervention follows revelations that Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper unwittingly filmed a personalised video greeting via the Cameo app for FanDuel.
The operator then delivered the video as a VIP perk to bettor Terry Thompson, who later sued FanDuel after losing more than $1.5 million.
Harper quickly distanced himself from the incident, insisting he was kept entirely in the dark about who requested the recording and how it would be used.
“Had I known FanDuel’s true intent, I would not have made the video,” Harper clarified on social media, adding that he knew nothing about Thompson’s situation.
Harper also stated he was unaware of any corporate arrangement between Cameo and the sportsbook operator at the time the recording was made.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, alongside Reps. Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee, responded by dispatching a joint letter to MLB, the MLBPA, and FanDuel.
The letter condemned the regulatory grey zone that allowed commercial bookmakers to co-opt prominent athletes for VIP retention schemes targeting vulnerable gamblers.
“We write to demand an end to the MLB and MLBPA policies that enabled this type of predatory promotion,” the lawmakers stated in their letter.
The politicians argued that existing loopholes permit gambling operators to use tailored messages from sports icons “to drive vulnerable fans into debt and addiction.”
Under current MLB regulations, players are permitted to sign endorsement contracts with sportsbooks provided they do not explicitly promote betting on baseball games specifically.
The congressional group argued that such a distinction is effectively meaningless when high-roller host programmes systematically target individuals displaying clear signs of gambling harm.
“This incident, however, raises broader concerns that players are not prohibited from such endorsements and highlights a systemic failure rooted in the deep enmeshment between leagues, teams, and sportsbooks,” the letter read.
With negotiations for baseball’s next collective bargaining agreement underway, lawmakers insisted that executives and union leaders must confront these conflicts of interest directly.
The politicians called on FanDuel to dismantle its VIP incentive structures entirely and pressed league bosses to institute a sweeping ban on player-led gambling endorsements.
MLB, the MLBPA, and FanDuel have all been given until 24 August to respond to a series of formal inquiries regarding their oversight mechanisms and player-marketing rules.
Neither MLB nor the MLBPA offered an immediate public response to the letter following its publication.
