Blumenthal, Tonko, & Foushee Demand FanDuel Fess Up About Celebrity Promo Videos After VIP Message was Used to Target Gambling Addict

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Valerie Foushee (D-NC) today demanded FanDuel provide full videos and information about whether personalized celebrity messages were used to exploit vulnerable consumers and entice addicts to further gamble. Blumenthal, Tonko, and Foushee previously wrote to FanDuel after reports that the sportsbook used a personal video message from Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper to target an individual suffering from gambling addiction.

In response to the lawmakers' previous letter, FanDuel acknowledged it had sent "approximately 30 such videos of athletes and entertainers over the last two years" as a "token of appreciation for a customer's loyalty."

In a letter sent today to FanDuel CEO Christian Genetski, the lawmakers demanded the sportsbook provide copies of each personalized video as well as information about whether the videos were sent to problem gamblers, writing, "While FanDuel claimed it 'has not used personalized videos or messages to induce customers to continue gambling,' that statement is clearly contradicted by the fact that the video of Mr. Harper that gave rise to these concerns was sent to an individual that had lost $1.5 million on bets on your platform."

Blumenthal, Tonko, and Foushee continued, "In addition, 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 full text of the lawmakers' letter to Genetski is available here and below. FanDuel's September 24 response to the lawmakers is available here.

Dear Mr. Genetski,

We write to demand that FanDuel provide the full videos and information regarding the dozens of personalized celebrity messages sent to VIP bettors, as revealed in its September 24^th response to our Congressional inquiry. Despite FanDuel's claims that these videos were not sent to entice destructive gambling, we remain concerned that FanDuel's VIP program and its perks are used to exploit vulnerable bettors, especially those suffering from a gambling addiction.

On September 3, 2026, we wrote to you regarding FanDuel's failure to adequately respond to our questions about disturbing reports that your VIP program repeatedly targeted problem gamblers with predatory perks, including with a personal message from Philadelphia Phillies first baseman, Bryce Harper. In your response, FanDuel acknowledged "approximately 30 such videos of athletes and entertainers over the last two years" as a "token of appreciation for a customer's loyalty." While FanDuel claimed it "has not used personalized videos or messages to induce customers to continue gambling," that statement is clearly contradicted by the fact that the video of Mr. Harper that gave rise to these concerns was sent to an individual that had lost $1.5 million on bets on your platform. In addition, 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.

Given FanDuel's repeated failures to protect bettors and previous deficient responses, we request that you provide the following information no later than October 20, 2026.

1. Please provide copies of each personalized video FanDuel has sent to its VIP bettors.
2. For each video, please describe the circumstances in which these were sent including:
3. 1. the total amount each recipient had wagered beforehand and the amount that they had won or lost;
   1. whether the recipient had ever requested to suspend their account, pause notifications, or take action to limit their gambling on the platform;
   2. the reason that the VIP host decided to target that bettor;
   3. 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; and
   1. what service was used to obtain the video.
4. 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.
5. 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.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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