FanDuel, the sports betting app, is facing legal action over its alleged use of VIP perks to deepen customers' gambling addictions. According to reports in The Philadelphia Inquirer, superstar Bryce Harper sent a personal video message to Terry Thompson, one of two plaintiffs in this case.

Thompson has wagered $18.5 million with FanDuel since 2020 and was assigned his own VIP manager to build an intimate relationship based on high-stakes gambling. The lawsuit claims he took out a second and third mortgage, lost his home to foreclosure, and sought psychiatric treatment for addiction. Harper’s video, 21 seconds long but loaded with meaning, does not directly urge Thompson to gamble, but mentions that his FanDuel host wanted to ensure Thompson had an 'extra special Thanksgiving.'

This case raises questions about the relationship between professional athletes and gambling apps. MLB players are forbidden from gambling, yet the league partners extensively with sports books such as Polymarket.