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Three Democratic lawmakers are asking FanDuel to turn over copies of about 30 personalized celebrity videos sent to VIP bettors, along with details about each recipient’s betting activity and why they were targeted. The request follows FanDuel’s disclosure that it had sent “approximately 30 such videos of athletes and entertainers over the last two years,” including a Bryce Harper message sent to a bettor who had lost $1.5 million on the platform.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee sent the letter to FanDuel CEO Christian Genetski. They gave the company until Oct. 20 to respond.
What lawmakers want from FanDuel
According to the lawmakers’ letter, they want more than the videos themselves. They also asked FanDuel for each recipient’s wagering history, including how much the customer had wagered and whether they had won or lost money before getting the message.
The lawmakers also asked whether any of the bettors had requested safeguards such as suspending an account, pausing notifications, or limiting gambling. They want to know what steps VIP hosts took to make sure the recipients were not vulnerable to problem gambling, significant losses, or economic hardship.
The letter also asks which service was used to obtain each video and how much each athlete or entertainer knew about the message’s connection to gambling or FanDuel.
Why the Bryce Harper video drew scrutiny
FanDuel told lawmakers in a Sept. 24 response that the videos were a “token of appreciation for a customer’s loyalty.” But the lawmakers said that explanation does not resolve their concerns.
In the letter, they wrote that FanDuel’s statement that it had not used personalized videos to induce continued gambling was contradicted by the Bryce Harper case, because that video was sent to a bettor who had already lost $1.5 million. They said they remain concerned that VIP programs and related perks may be used to exploit vulnerable bettors, especially people with gambling addiction.
For FanDuel customers in New York and elsewhere, the immediate issue is whether sportsbook VIP programs are using player data in ways that could raise responsible-gambling concerns. The next key date is Oct. 20, the deadline lawmakers set for FanDuel’s response.
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Source: As reported by Sergey Demidov.
