Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board 'reviewing' FanDuel's video of Bryce Harper
It's unclear if the gaming control board has contacted FanDuel or Harper about the controversial video.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says it is examining a video of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper that FanDuel sent in 2024 to a VIP bettor who was struggling with a gambling addiction.
“We are aware of the situation and are reviewing it,” Doug Harbach, a spokesperson for the board, said Friday. “I can’t comment beyond that at this juncture.”
It’s unclear if the gaming control board, which regulates casinos, online gambling and sports wagering, has contacted FanDuel or Harper. David Purdum of ESPN first reported the gaming board acknowledgment.
The Inquirer obtained the 21-second video, which shows Harper greeting the bettor, Terry Thompson, and Thompson’s son, and ends with Harper thanking Thompson for his support.
Harper is not wearing FanDuel merchandise in the video, but it is marked with the company’s logo. Harper mentions that he was reaching out at the request of Thompson’s VIP manager — “your host Bryttanni at FanDuel” — who wanted to ensure that Thompson had an “extra special Thanksgiving.”
The Inquirer could find no evidence that Harper has a business relationship with FanDuel, nor that he was aware Thompson had a gambling addiction. Harper declined through the Phillies on Thursday to comment.
The FanDuel VIP manager allegedly obtained the recording of Harper through the video service Cameo, which allows users to pay athletes, celebrities and musicians to record personal messages for them, Front Office Sports reported Friday, citing three anonymous sources.
The outlet wrote that Harper was provided a script, but didn’t know how it would be used.
On its website, though, Cameo notes that celebrities don’t necessarily have to follow a purchaser’s instructions.
“You acknowledge and agree that the Talent User has sole discretion to determine how to fulfill your request and the content of the CAMEO Video created, and may not follow your request exactly,” reads part of its terms of services.
Cameo did not respond Friday to multiple requests from The Inquirer for comment.
A video of Harper addressing an individual can be purchased from Cameo for $899, but can be used only for “non-commercial, and non-promotional purposes,” according to the company’s website.
Harper offers Cameo recordings for businesses for $9,999, which includes commercial rights uses.
The Inquirer earlier in the week shared the FanDuel video with Harper’s longtime agent, Scott Boras, the Phillies, and Major League Baseball. Each declined to comment.
Beginning in 2020, Thompson wagered $18.5 million with FanDuel and lost $1.5 million, according to a lawsuit that the Public Health Advocacy Institute filed in March in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia on behalf of Thompson and against FanDuel and DraftKings, to which Thompson also lost money.
Harper is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Thompson’s attorneys allege that he became addicted to placing microbets — in-game wagers on something as minor as the speed of a pitch during a baseball game — until he gambled away his final $10,000 on a DraftKings parlay bet in February.
Broke and afraid of disclosing the scope of his losses to his family, Thompson contacted his therapist and indicated that he planned to take his life.
Police reached Thompson before he harmed himself.
Harper, meanwhile, is one of baseball’s most marketable players, and was recently named to his ninth All-Star team.
He typically announces new endorsement deals, which in the past have included companies such as Under Armour, Gatorade, and Dairy Queen.
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