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Congress Demands MLB End Sportsbook VIP Promotions After Harper Video

Quick Glance at the Facts

• Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Reps. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Valerie Foushee (D-NC) sent a letter on August 10, 2026 demanding MLB and the MLBPA end policies that let players appear in personalized sportsbook promotions.
• The letter followed a late-2024 FanDuel video of Phillies star Bryce Harper sent to VIP customer Terry Thompson, who wagered $18.5 million and lost more than $1.5 million.
• MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred and MLBPA Interim Director Bruce Meyer have until August 24, 2026 to answer five questions.

Three members of Congress are pressuring Major League Baseball and its players’ union to stop letting players appear in personalized sportsbook marketing aimed at VIP customers. That demand puts a federal spotlight on how licensed sportsbooks reward their biggest losers, and it could reshape the rules players follow during the sport’s current labor talks.

What the Lawmakers Are Demanding

Blumenthal, Tonko and Foushee sent their letter to Manfred and Meyer on August 10, 2026, according to Senator Blumenthal’s office. They want an immediate end to MLB and MLBPA policies that permit players to take part in sportsbook VIP or tier promotions. Current MLB rules let players sign endorsement deals with sportsbooks as long as they do not encourage betting on baseball, and the lawmakers argue that gap still allows personal player content to target vulnerable fans.

The letter grew out of reporting by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which revealed on July 9, 2026 that FanDuel sent Terry Thompson, a Montgomery County, Pennsylvania resident, a late-2024 video in which Harper wished him an “extra special Thanksgiving.” Thompson wagered $18.5 million and lost more than $1.5 million on the licensed sportsbook, the lawmakers wrote. Harper has said he was unaware of how FanDuel would use the clip and did not consent to it.

MLB and MLBPA Have Until August 24

The lawmakers asked MLB and the MLBPA to answer five questions by August 24, 2026, including whether they will bar players from personalized sportsbook marketing tied to VIP programs.

The timing matters because MLB and the union are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and are facing down the barrel of a spring 2027 finalization. The MLBPA has a number of demands on the table, including extensive changes to player salaries, draft organization, and a ban on player prop bets after numerous counts of harassment toward players.

However, the MLBPA has also publicly said that it wants the freedom for players to “gain endorsements and sponsorships from sports betting operators and prediction market platforms”, as reported by Covers in June. That sets up a direct clash between the union’s goal and what these three lawmakers want.

What This Means for Sports Bettors

This fight is about marketing rules, not about whether you can place a bet. As of August 2026, FanDuel remains a licensed, state-regulated online sportsbook, and nothing in the letter changes where it operates or how you wager. What could change is how aggressively sportsbooks use star athletes to court high-spending customers, which is worth understanding before you chase VIP perks at any licensed sportsbooks.

GamblingNerd Take

VIP programs are the sharp end of sportsbook marketing, and this letter is the clearest sign yet that Congress wants them reined in rather than just studied. The government and the leagues themselves need to speak up and demand better practices from sportsbooks, in my opinion.

If you have a VIP host who texts you perks after a rough losing streak, treat that as a sales tactic, not a friendship, and check whether your sportsbook offers deposit limits or a self-exclusion option you can switch on today.