Bryce Harper FanDuel Video Shows ‘Conversations Need to be Had’ Regarding Online Sports Betting

The big news in sports betting Thursday was an article that appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer revealing Phillies star Bryce Harper recorded a video for a FanDuel VIP bettor who has since sued the online sports betting operator for creating an app that caused a gambling addiction costing him $1.5 million.

No one knows how the video may affect the Philadelphia County case. According to court records, a trial, if one takes place, won’t happen for more than 18 months. However, the clip Harper recorded for Terry Thompson nearly two years ago could have repercussions for the regulated sports betting market across the country far sooner than that.

Josh Ercole, the executive director for the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, told Gambling Insider that the video, while made for just one bettor, may not be materially different from commercials basketball great LeBron James makes with comedian Kevin Hart for DraftKings.

However, it still may bring about change.

“I think it really just enforces the fact that conversations need to be had,” he said. “And what that end result means, I don’t necessarily know.

“…Regardless of the legal or regulatory outlines and if it is falling within those lines or not, it comes back to the fact is what’s happening here where we should be as a society in 2026? Because it’s continuing to expand and spread, and if we have folks that are struggling with an addiction, why on Earth are we doing anything other than trying to help them?”

Online operators receive data on their users, which they then use to market or communicate to those bettors, and Ercole said operators need to use that information to identify people with problem gambling behaviors and intervene.

Enticement to Bet, Or a Thank You?

Dr. Timothy Fong, the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, told Gambling Insider it’s common for athletes to represent a variety of companies in advertisements or promotions. Today’s technology brings athletes and fans closer together, which also leads to deeper personal connections.

However, he added there’s a “gray area” for them to work with sportsbooks and other gambling companies.

“If that was done to encourage specifically that player to continue to use FanDuel’s products, then that is what we would have to look at,” he said. If the VIP manager sent the video to thank Thompson for his “brand loyalty… then that’s just standard business practices. But the question is, should that business practice be regulated? That’s something I can’t answer right now.”

Officials with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board are “aware of the situation and are reviewing it,” Director of Communications Doug Harbach told Gambling Insider Friday.

“I can’t comment beyond that at this juncture.”

Harper’s video, which The Inquirer posted in the online article, looks similar to a Cameo-style message personalized for Thompson. The two-time MVP mentioned Thompson’s FanDuel VIP representative, Bryttanni Morgan, asked him to record the 21-second message, wished him and his family an “extra special” Thanksgiving and thanked Thompson for his support.

(UPDATE: Front Office Sports reported Friday that a FanDuel employee purchased the video through Cameo.)

Harper does not wear any FanDuel apparel in the spot. However, the FanDuel logo appears at the bottom of the horizontal screen.

“I’d really be curious how he feels about all this now,” Fong said.

Prior to the Phillies game Thursday night in Cincinnati, the team said Harper would not comment on the video, the Inquirer reported.

The Syringe or the Drug?

Thompson, one of two plaintiffs in the case filed in a Philadelphia court earlier this year against FanDuel and DraftKings, argues his addiction is the result of product liability. It’s similar to arguments made in a New Mexico courtroom. In that case, jurors found Meta’s social media products violated state consumer protection laws. The suit also lists Morgan and other FanDuel and DraftKings VIP managers as defendants, along with the National Football League and Genius Sports.

The operators, the suit claims, created mobile applications that offer far more wagering options than brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. That includes “microbets” or in-game markets where customers can wager on the outcome of the next play or drive. Mobile apps also provide push notifications that promote certain games or offer enticements to bettors.

“DraftKings’ and FanDuel’s ability to design, implement, and market such targeted betting options demonstrates why it is not merely a digital version of traditional sports betting, but rather a fundamentally different—and defective—product altogether,” the lawsuit states.

Thompson, according to court documents, placed more than $18 million in bets through the FanDuel app. Nearly all of that was on in-game NFL wagers, leading to a loss of more than $1.5 million. He also wagered about $4.5 million through DraftKings, mostly on in-game football bets and lost $336,000.

He placed second and third mortgages on his house and also sold his portion of a business to cover his betting. FanDuel offered numerous perks, including a trip to Super Bowl LVII.

Fong said the lawsuit presents the question of whether the online sports betting apps are “the syringe, or are they the drug?” The plaintiffs will need to show that the operators either downplayed the harm the apps cause or did not mitigate it after becoming aware of the danger.

FanDuel Defends Practices

Hours after the video became public, FanDuel said it’s “committed to fostering a culture of responsible gaming and protecting our customers” in a statement from a company spokesperson.

“Unlike illegal offshore sportsbooks, FanDuel employees are trained to recognize and flag signs of problem gambling and offer resources and tools, and we continue to review and strengthen our policies to ensure we have the industry’s strongest consumer protection initiatives,” they added.

FanDuel has unveiled several tools it says can help customers get a handle on their betting habits. That includes its “Reality Check” that lets players know the length of their session and how much they have wagered since logging in to the app, and FanDuel provides monthly statements detailing their activity.

According to a LinkedIn job posting from a month ago, a FanDuel VIP account manager develops relationships with “high-net-worth customers… in order to increase their loyalty.” It also says managers follow “compliance and responsible gaming ideals,” and that they must “deliver against company responsible gaming protocols.”