FanDuel cancels Philadelphia Zoo offer for VIP bettors and their kids
A zoo spokesperson said the now-cancelled arrangement for the sportsbook's VIP customers and their families "did not constitute an endorsement of FanDuel."
FanDuel on Tuesday abandoned a plan to offer VIP gamblers and their children admission to the Philadelphia Zoo on Saturday for its annual “Boo at the Zoo” festivities.
The Inquirer reported Monday that the online sportsbook had invited its best customers to visit the zoo, promising “the perfect combination of Halloween fun, family entertainment, and VIP treatment for all ages,” including free parking, and lunch and snacks in the zoo’s Garden Pavilion.
Addiction experts said a reward that could be enjoyed by children of heavy gamblers, in a family-centric setting, was troubling, while Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board — regulates casinos, online gambling, and sports wagering — said it would look into the matter.
In an email to its customers, FanDuel wrote that it was canceling the Boo at the Zoo offer “following guidance from our regulators,” according to a copy of the announcement The Inquirer obtained. “Ensuring that we’re operating in partnership and compliance with our regulators is foundational to the experience that we’re able to provide you as a customer.”
The company apologized for any inconveniences caused by the cancellation, adding: “We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you to another experience in the future.”
A zoo spokesperson, Maria Bryant, said FanDuel “reached out to us to cancel the event. The event itself was in a private area that wouldn’t be accessible to regular guests. It was never a partnership with the zoo.”
Bryant said the planned arrangement “did not constitute an endorsement of FanDuel.”
State Rep. Tarik Khan (D.-Phila) said he found the idea of a sports gambling company using access to the zoo as a potential reward for VIP bettors to be “really disturbing.”
“This is the oldest zoo in the nation, where people bring their kids,” he said. “It seems like [FanDuel] is sort of testing what they can get away with. If they were allowed to do this, what else are they going to try? Sesame Place?”
Khan said he will soon introduce a bill that would prohibit online gambling entities from offering VIP programs or similar loyalty rewards.
Similar legislative action was recommended earlier this year in a 126-page study that was published by a nonpartisan Joint State Government Commission.
“This is exactly why we want to ban [VIP programs],” Khan said.
The Inquirer is investigating how the rise of the multi-billion dollar sports gambling and prediction market industries are affecting public health and professional sports. Read more of our coverage:
· Bryce Harper addresses controversy over his video to FanDuel VIP bettor
· In Pennsylvania, the epicenter of online gambling, anger over addiction and loss fuels a backlash
· MLBPA supports banning players from promoting sportsbook VIP programs
· As the betting industry grows, kids as young as 11 are getting hooked
· He wrote the book on sports gambling's rise. Here's what he thinks you should know.
Federal lawmakers have also called on FanDuel to end its VIP rewards. Other online sportsbooks and federally-regulated prediction markets also offer similar programs.
The Sports Betting Alliance, a national advocacy organization whose members include FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, bet365, and Fanatics, has said that it would fight any efforts to enforce such restrictions.
Longtime addiction counselors have said that Pennsylvania is the epicenter of a gambling addiction crisis. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have found that between 2.4% and 6.4% of Pennsylvanians might be problem gamblers — more than double the reported national average of 1% to 3%.
Pennsylvania recorded $7.7 billion in overall gambling revenue in 2025, a sum that trailed only Nevada, while the Philadelphia media market last year outpaced even Las Vegas and New York City for gambling advertisements.
The Inquirer will continue to report on issues related to the growth of gambling addiction — among teens and adults — across Pennsylvania. If you, or someone you know, wants to speak with a reporter, please contact David Gambacorta or William Bender at dgambacorta@inquirer.com and wbender@inquirer.com
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