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HARTFORD, Conn. (Gambling911.com) - Democratic Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal has accused FanDuel of targeting problem gamblers by using a personalized video from MLB star Bryce Harper without consent, calling the practice predatory.
The controversy began when the Philadelphia Inquirer revealed that FanDuel had sent a personalized video from Phillies superstar Bryce Harper to a customer who had reportedly lost approximately $1.5 million gambling with the sportsbook.
“[It is] apparently designed to entice that gambler to spend more,” Blumenthal said. “This kind of predatory promotion should have no place in sports betting.”
FanDuel has defended personalized celebrity videos as a "token of appreciation" for customers.
Blumenthal's own state is among the most restrictive when it comes to regulated online gambling, including sports betting.
Connecticut is relatively permissive about legal gambling, but strict about who can offer it, how operators advertise, and how they protect consumers. The state has even gone as far as to banning single game bets on its beloved UConn Huskies basketball team.
In Connecticut, if a sportsbook used a celebrity video to encourage a high-loss VIP customer to keep wagering, regulators could examine whether that promotion was misleading, whether the customer had demonstrated gambling-related harm, and whether responsible-gambling requirements were followed.
However, a high-loss customer receiving a personalized celebrity video does not, by itself, establish a violation of Connecticut law. Jurisdiction, the customer's location, the video's purpose and the operator's knowledge would all matter.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
