PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Some U.S. lawmakers are calling on Major League Baseball to bar players from being in gambling endorsements after Phillies slugger Bryce Harper recorded a video that FanDuel later sent to a man with a gambling addiction.
In a letter to the MLB commissioner and MLB Players Association executive director, three members of Congress — Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Reps. Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee, both from New York — “demand an end to the MLB and MLBPA policies that enabled this type of predatory promotion.”
Congress members demand MLB bar players from gambling endorsements in wake of Bryce Harper video by KYW Newsradio
The letter comes a month after the saga surrounding Harper and the personalized FanDuel video he was featured in.
Harper said he did not know a Cameo video he recorded would be used by FanDuel as a reward for a VIP customer who later sued the sportsbook, saying it took advantage of his gambling addiction.
The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported that a fan named Terry Thompson had wagered $18.5 million with FanDuel and was eventually rewarded with a personalized video from Harper.
In the video, Harper addressed the fan by name and even mentioned the man’s young son. Harper shared a screenshot of the request on Cameo, an app that allows users to pay celebrities to record custom videos. FanDuel obtained the video through a partnership with Cameo.
“Had I known FanDuel’s true intent, I would not have made the video,” Harper said. “The same is true had I known anything about Terry or his situation, or about any alleged ‘partnership’ between Cameo and FanDuel.”
The Inquirer reported Thompson lost $1.5 million, according to a lawsuit that the Public Health Advocacy Institute filed in March in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia on behalf of Thompson and against FanDuel and DraftKings. Thompson also was reported to have lost money to DraftKings.
“I did not know FanDuel would do this,” Harper wrote on social media. “I did not consent to it, and FanDuel had no right to do it.”
The letter from members of Congress calls the situation with Harper “deeply disturbing.”
“Despite clear harms that VIP programs pose to bettors,” it reads, “MLB and MLBPA continue to disregard fan safety by permitting partnerships with sportsbooks operating these programs. We demand an immediate end to this policy. MLB and the MLBPA must not allow players, regardless of their level of awareness, to legitimize sportsbook VIP programs designed to exploit the most vulnerable fans.”
The letter also asks the MLB and MLBPA questions surrounding the relationship between the league, players union and sports betting apps, and safeguards for fans.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Harper recorded a Cameo video that FanDuel later sent to a man with a gambling addiction
Harper recorded a Cameo video that FanDuel later sent to a man with a gambling addiction
