FanDuel tells Congress VIP athlete videos were appreciation gestures, not tools to drive more betting

FanDuel has defended its VIP rewards programme in a new response to members of Congress, arguing that personalised videos sent to a small group of high-value customers were gestures of appreciation and not a way to encourage more gambling. The letter is dated 20 October.

The correspondence is part of a continuing exchange with Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representatives Valerie P. Foushee and Paul D. Tonko. The dispute began after reports that a VIP customer had received a personalised video from MLB player Bryce Harper, which led the lawmakers to question the role of such rewards in sports betting VIP schemes. Earlier this month they wrote that they remained concerned that the perks could be used to target vulnerable bettors.

FanDuel told the lawmakers it had reviewed the practice and found around 30 videos involving athletes or entertainers sent over a two-year period. It said the videos were obtained as customer-appreciation gestures and were not commissioned or sent to induce continued gambling. The operator said the VIP programme is meant to provide enhanced service and to encourage customers who choose to wager to use FanDuel rather than another platform, comparing it with loyalty programmes in many other industries.

Much of the letter focused on responsible gambling safeguards. FanDuel said customers who want to reduce or stop gambling can use a range of tools, and that VIP account managers must escalate welfare concerns to specialist responsible gaming teams. It also described several monitoring systems for spotting signs of potential harm. According to the company, VIP account managers can communicate only through approved business channels, and certain rewards need additional approval before they are offered.

The letter also covered FanDuel Predicts, the company's prediction market platform. FanDuel said a separate 90-day VIP programme began there in September. It stressed that the pilot runs independently of the main sportsbook and casino operations, has served fewer than 60 customers and has not included personalised videos. The company added that it has no plans to offer such videos during the trial.

FanDuel said it is ready to work with lawmakers on customer protection issues. However, it declined to provide some of the customer-level information Congress had requested, saying it has an obligation to protect personal and financial data.