​A personalized message recorded by Bryce Harper in November 2024 for a man in serious gambling debt was purchased through the video-sharing platform Cameo, and Harper reportedly did not know that it would be used as part of FanDuel’s VIP bettor program, according to sources cited by Front Office Sports. The video, which The Inquirer published on Thursday, features Harper, then a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, addressing a man named Terry and saying that his VIP host “from FanDuel wanted to make sure your Thanksgiving was extra special. So I just wanted to hop on here and wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.” With the exception of the FanDuel VIP host reference, Harper does not discuss betting in the 21-second clip, and the bottom of the video displays the FanDuel logo.
Three sources told FOS that FanDuel does not maintain a professional relationship with Harper. All three confirm that the video was bought on Cameo, and two of them say a FanDuel employee purchased the clip. Two sources note that the FanDuel employee provided a script for Harper, and that Harper did not know precisely how the video would be used. They indicate that the employee bought a personal video, which is more expensive and comes with commercial-use rights; personal Cameo videos do not include such rights. A spokesperson for Harper declined to comment, and Cameo did not respond to a request for comment at the time.
A source familiar with FanDuel’s partnership efforts told FOS that it’s unlikely the Harper Cameo video was approved by FanDuel’s senior leadership, although another source contested the idea that this was an employee acting completely on their own. The exact internal approval process for the Harper clip remains unclear, including whether anyone explicitly authorized it as part of the company’s VIP program.
Cameo’s listings show that Harper’s personal videos start at $899, with athletes and celebrities setting their own prices on the platform. He isn’t the only MLB figure with Cameo presence; for instance, Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s personal videos begin at $395, while Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas’s personal clips start at $250.
The recipient of the Harper video was Terry Thompson. In March, Thompson and another plaintiff, Christopher Sage, filed a lawsuit against FanDuel, DraftKings, Betfair, and other entities. They allege that the companies knowingly and deliberately coerce users into placing large bets by using data-driven targeting to promote “microbets”—prop bets tied to specific events, such as the outcome of the next pitch in a Major League Baseball game. Thompson claims substantial losses, reporting about $1.52 million lost on FanDuel and $336,000 on DraftKings, alongside roughly $18.5 million in total bets placed on FanDuel. He describes himself as having developed a “gambling addiction disorder,” which parallels his status as one of FanDuel’s VIP bettors and helps explain the scale of his wagering activity. The complaint indicates his first FanDuel bet was placed in late 2020.