Lawmakers Demand FanDuel Release Celebrity Videos Sent to VIP Bettors

Back in August, lawmakers Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Reps. Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee requested answers from FanDuel regarding a video featuring Philadelphia Phillies player Bryce Harper that was sent to a VIP program member. 

FanDuel later partially answered the lawmakers' questions, but the lawmakers pushed back, wanting better answers from the company.

Now, those same lawmakers have sent a third letter to FanDuel CEO Christian Genetski demanding copies of all personalized celebrity videos that the operator sent to qualifying bettors. 

"FanDuel claims the personalized videos they sent to bettors featuring athletes & celebrities weren’t used to entice gambling.

"Well, FanDuel let’s see the receipts.

"I’m demanding these videos & more info about how the VIP programs target problem gamblers," Sen. Blumenthal said. 

The lawmakers have given FanDuel until Oct. 20 to respond. 

Lawmakers Question FanDuel's Use of Celebrity Videos

In its latest letter, FanDuel confirmed in September that it sent “approximately 30 such videos of athletes and entertainers over the last two years” as a “token of appreciation for a customer’s loyalty.”

However, the lawmakers aren't buying that because there was a lawsuit from a player who sued over gambling issues and was sent the Harper video. 

“FanDuel claims to monitor a range of behaviors through ‘automated and manual proactive reviews to identify players who may be experiencing gambling harm,’ yet does not provide a full picture of how it uses this information, including whether that same data is used to target bettors with such predatory promotions,” the letter read.

FanDuel Faces Demands for VIP Betting Data and Communications

Like the other letters, the lawmakers had a list of demands:

• "Please provide copies of each personalized video FanDuel has sent to its VIP bettors.

• "For each video, please describe the circumstances in which they were sent including:
  • "The total amount each recipient had wagered beforehand and the amount that they had won or lost.
  • "Whether the recipient had ever requested to suspend their account, pause notifications, or take action to limit their gambling on the platform.
  • "The reason that the VIP host decided to target that bettor.
  • "What steps the VIP host took to ensure that the bettor was not vulnerable to problematic gambling or showed signs of significant losses or economic hardship.
  • "What service was used to obtain the video.
• "For each video, please describe the extent to which the athlete or celebrity was aware of the video’s promotion of gambling or connection to FanDuel.
• "Please describe the data and behaviors monitored in FanDuel’s screening process for problem gambling, and whether that same information is used to target bettors with personalized videos, push notifications, promotion, retention bonuses, and any other perks."

You can see the full letter in Sen. Blumenthal's post on X, linked above.