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Members of Congress are pressing FanDuel for more information about its VIP program after calling the company’s earlier response incomplete and misleading. In a new letter, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Paul D. Tonko, and Rep. Valerie P. Foushee said they remain unconvinced FanDuel is actively protecting bettors from harmful gambling.
The lawmakers gave FanDuel until Sept. 17 to answer eight follow-up questions. Their renewed scrutiny also touched on FanDuel Predicts, which they said could be used to circumvent sportsbook regulations.
Why lawmakers say FanDuel’s answers fell short
The congressional review follows letters sent on Aug. 10 to FanDuel, Major League Baseball, and the MLB Players Association. Those letters were prompted in part by a 2024 controversy involving a video greeting from Bryce Harper that a FanDuel VIP manager sent to a bettor with a gambling addiction.
Harper said he recorded the message through Cameo and did not know about the bettor’s addiction or that FanDuel would use the video as a VIP reward.
In their latest criticism of FanDuel, the lawmakers wrote that they remain unconvinced the operator is making “an active effort to protect bettors from harmful gambling” and instead appears to be promoting addiction. They have also asked the company to end its VIP rewards and disclose more detail about how the program works, including whether other athlete videos were used for VIP bettors.
FanDuel said in an Aug. 14 response that it was committed to being “transparent and cooperative.” The company also said it spent $158 million on responsible gaming in 2025, and that it conducts thorough reviews of customer accounts before offering VIP access. FanDuel senior vice president Cory Fox said sports wagering is heavily regulated in the U.S. and that FanDuel operates a licensed online sportsbook in 26 U.S. jurisdictions.
Wider pressure on VIP programs
The congressional inquiry arrives as FanDuel and DraftKings are also fighting a lawsuit over their VIP programs. The Public Health Advocacy Institute filed that case in March on behalf of VIP bettors Terry Thompson and Christopher Sage.
According to the source report, Thompson lost more than $1.8 million betting on sports. Both FanDuel and DraftKings have sought to dismiss the case.
For bettors, the immediate date to watch is Sept. 17, when FanDuel’s next round of answers is due. The story is also worth following because it combines two issues regulators are increasingly watching closely: VIP marketing practices and whether newer products such as FanDuel Predicts fit inside existing gambling rules.
If you gamble, use the responsible-gaming tools available on your platform and set limits you can afford.
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Source: As reported by yahoo.com.
