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FanDuel says approximately 30 personalized videos featuring athletes and entertainers were customer-appreciation gestures, not efforts to induce continued gambling.
Members of Congress have questioned whether the operator’s VIP perks exploit customers experiencing gambling addiction.
FanDuel’s response puts its personalized customer outreach and responsible-gambling safeguards at the center of an ongoing congressional exchange.
FanDuel Defends Personalized VIP Videos
FanDuel said it reviewed approximately 30 Cameo videos involving athletes and entertainers. In its letter, the company described them as “customer-appreciation gestures and were not commissioned or sent to induce continued gambling.”
The exchange followed reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer that FanDuel commissioned a video featuring Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper addressing a VIP-level customer.
According to media reports cited by InGame, Thompson experiences gambling addiction, wagered $18.5 million on FanDuel over six years and lost $1.52 million. Those reports also said he lost $336,000 on DraftKings and sued both operators in March.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Valerie Foushee and Paul Tonko have pressed FanDuel about its practices. In an Oct. 6 letter, they wrote:
“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 gambling addiction.”
Company Points to Responsible-Gambling Safeguards
Cory Fox, FanDuel’s senior vice president of public policy and sustainability, described the VIP program as a customer-service and loyalty offering.
“Like customer-loyalty programs in many industries, the VIP program is intended to provide enhanced service and encourage customers who choose to wager to use FanDuel rather than another platform,” Fox said.
Fox said personalized gestures are subject to the same problem-gambling and responsible-gaming guidelines as FanDuel’s marketing and advertising. He also said the company must follow stringent state advertising rules and maintain comprehensive responsible-gaming tools and programs.
For customers showing signs of a developing addiction, Fox said FanDuel can help close an account, direct a player to tools to reduce play, or suspend or limit an account.
Federal Oversight Remains Part of the Debate
Blumenthal and Tonko co-sponsor the SAFE Bet Act, a proposal to bring legal sports betting under federal regulation.
It would prohibit gambling advertising during live sporting events, introduce affordability checks and require states to obtain federal permission to offer legal sports betting.
According to InGame, that push has not gained traction in Congress. The proposal is separate from the lawmakers’ scrutiny of FanDuel’s VIP practices and is not an enacted change to betting rules.
Fox also said FanDuel Predicts is conducting a 90-day VIP program trial that does not include Cameo videos.
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Source: As reported by InGame.
