After Harper's FanDuel video, Congress demands MLB draw the line

• Congress is stepping into MLB's betting mess, and Bryce Harper is right in the middle of it
• A "thank you" video, a VIP gambler, and $18.5 million in losses, the details are worse than they sound
• Lawmakers just gave MLB and the MLBPA a deadline. Here's what they're demanding

Three members of Congress, US Sen Richard Blumenthal, US Reps. Paul Tonko and Valerie Foushee have sent a joint letter to Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Player’s Association, urging the organizations to take action in light the situation of Phillie star Bryce Harper.

Harper’s image and likeness were used, as part of a pre-recorded video, to share as a "thank you" to a VIP FanDuel customer.

Harper's FanDuel video stirs US Congressmen into action

Harper never knew the video would be used to congratulate a gambler who had stacked up significant losses at one of America’s leading sportsbooks, and the case reverberated among lawmakers, problem gambling advocates, and promoted a swift apology and anger from the athlete himself.

The player had spent $18.5m with FanDuel, and during one of his periods of repeated losses, the player received a "thank you" video featuring Harper himself. The athlete addressed the player in person and jarringly mentioned his young son.

The video was obtained through Cameo, a service that allows celebrities to record themselves, with FanDuel obtaining the video from the platform. At the time, Harper found himself lost for words at how events had transpired.

"Had I known FanDuel's true intent, I would not have made the video. The same is true had I known anything about Terry or his situation, or about any alleged 'partnership' between Cameo and FanDuel."

The letter stated its goal outright: "We write to demand an end to the MLB and MLBPA policies that enabled this type of predatory promotion."

The player in question had lost $1.5m in total on FanDue, with more money lost on DraftKings, prompting a legal action against the companies. In their letter, US Members of Congress have epxlained that despite Harper’s lack of awareness about the true purposes of the video, the issue at the core retained.

Congressmen worried about "vulnerable fans"

"This incident, however, raises broader concerns that players are not prohibited from such endorsements and highlights a systemic failure rooted in the deep enmeshment between leagues, teams, and sports books," the letter read.

"Partnerships that do not violate this rule can even use personalized content from players to drive vulnerable fans into debt and addiction. This is a failure that Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major LeagueBaseball Players Association (MLBPA) must confront directly, especially as both are in the midst of renegotiating their collective bargaining agreement," the authors highlighted as the problem.

Both the MLB and the MLBPA have been given a list of questions to provide answers for by a stated deadline of August 24, 2026.

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