MLBPA backs ban on players promoting sportsbook VIP programs

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) has voiced support for a ban on players participating in personalized sportsbook marketing campaigns for VIP programs.

This development succeeds a recent scandal where a FanDuel employee sent a video featuring Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper to a player struggling with gambling addiction.

MLBPA is willing to enact the restriction as part of a new collective bargaining agreement that it is negotiating with Major League Baseball (MLB). Under the current collective bargaining agreement, which expires in December, players are permitted to appear in these types of advertisements.

The Union's General Counsel, Jeffrey Perconte, stated this in a letter to US Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representatives Paul D. Tonko and Valerie P. Foushee.

On August 10, the three members of Congress sent letters to MLB, the players’ union and FanDuel, calling on them to take corrective action following The Inquirer’s report about a personalized video that Bryce Harper recorded and a FanDuel VIP host sent to Terry Thompson in 2024.

The Democratic lawmakers urged FanDuel to end its VIP program, calling it predatory. They also pressed MLB and the MLBPA to ban players from participating in promotional activities for gambling companies.

Thompson lost $1.5m betting on sports with FanDuel. In March, he sued FanDuel and DraftKings, as the latter allegedly provided him with VIP perks as well.

In addition, MLBPA has proposed lobbying MLB to ban proposition bets and event contracts tied to 'players' in-game performance as part of a the collective bargaining agreement. According to the Union, these types of bets are linked to higher rates of problem gambling and bettors harassing players and their families.

Global Gaming Insider recently analyzed how the Bryce Harper-FanDuel controversy could affect MLB’s relationship with sports betting operators and the league’s growing ties with prediction markets.