A new lawsuit is putting FanDuel’s treatment of one of its biggest bettors under the microscope, and Bryce Harper’s name has landed right in the middle of it.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania bettor Terry Thompson says he lost $1.5 million wagering through FanDuel and that the sportsbook kept encouraging him to bet even as signs of a gambling problem mounted. Thompson’s claims are part of a broader lawsuit filed earlier this year by Thompson and Christopher Sage, which accuses FanDuel, DraftKings and the NFL of contributing to their gambling addictions.
The most eye-catching detail in the report is how Thompson says FanDuel handled him. Rather than treating him like a standard customer, the sportsbook allegedly assigned him a VIP host and showered him with perks that included Super Bowl tickets, bottles of champagne and other rewards usually reserved for top spenders.
One of those rewards reportedly came in the form of a personalized video from Harper. In the message, the Phillies star wished Thompson and his family a happy Thanksgiving and greeted Thompson’s young son by name.
The video itself is not alleged to have broken any law or MLB rule, but it has still drawn sharp criticism from gambling experts. Sports betting researcher Danny Funt told The Philadelphia Inquirer he had never heard of an active player recording a personalized message for a sportsbook customer in that kind of setting.
Patrick Mahomes’ agent, Leigh Steinberg, was even more blunt. “It’s not good for your brand,” Steinberg said. “It’s exploitative.”
The situation is especially striking given that Harper has previously spoken out against gambling because of his Mormon faith.
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