Terry Thompson is part of a lawsuit against FanDuel and DraftKings claiming that the sports books used their VIP services and products to intentionally prey on his gambling addiction. Thompson says he wagered $18.5 million with FanDuel and became addicted to gambling via the sports book's in-game micro bets. His suit claims he was also encouraged to continue gambling by a FanDuel VIP manager named Bryttanni Morgan, who at one point sent Thompson a personalized video from Bryce Harper.
The 21-second video, obtained by the Philadelphia Inquirer, features Harper speaking into his phone camera and wishing Thompson a happy Thanksgiving. "Your host Bryttanni, from FanDuel, wanted to make sure your Thanksgiving was extra special," Harper says in the video, which has a FanDuel logo superimposed over it.
This was just one of many gifts Thompson said he received from Morgan, who communicated with him frequently via text message and shared details from her personal life. Morgan frequently provided Thompson with tickets to sporting events, including two Super Bowls.
The Inquirer says Harper's agent, Scott Boras, declined to comment on the existence of the video, which leaves unanswered the question of how exactly Harper allowed himself to be used this way. MLB rules do not forbid players from cutting endorsement deals with casinos or sports books, so long as they are not encouraging anyone to bet on baseball. It's possible that Harper is paid to record videos like this for heavy FanDuel bettors, but it is just as likely that Morgan purchased the video herself through Harper's Cameo profile, and then sent it along to Thompson after putting the FanDuel logo on it.
The latter scenario would make Harper's participation less nefarious, but it would also underscore how easily an addictive and destructive product has seeped its way into American sports. Harper, or whoever screens his Cameo requests, probably should have been tipped off by the request coming from "Your host Bryttanni, from FanDuel," and decided that this video was not the best use of his likeness, but nothing about how sports gambling is treated in this country would have helped push him towards that conclusion. A sports book's VIP manager is not much different from a particularly pushy drug dealer, but that is a difficult conclusion for someone like Harper to come to, given how fully sports gambling has been embraced by leagues and players' associations across the country.
In his lawsuit, Thompson says he lost $1.5 million on bets he placed with FanDuel, and had to take out second and third mortgages on his home to cover his losses. At one point he texted his therapist about his intent to harm himself, but was prevented from doing so after the therapist contacted police and officers were sent to Thompson's home. He has since entered a psychiatric facility to undergo treatment for gambling addiction.
