Phillies Star Bryce Harper Says FanDuel Had ‘No Right’ to Use Cameo Video

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper says he was unaware that a video he made for a website where users can request personalized messages from celebrities would be used by FanDuel as part of a VIP promotion targeting an addicted gambler.

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper says he had no idea a personalized video he recorded on Cameo would be used by FanDuel to target an addicted VIP gambler.

The video was sent in November 2024 to Terry Thompson, who went on to lose $2 million betting at FanDuel, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. It featured Harper addressing Thompson by name to wish him “an extra-special Thanksgiving” and inquiring after his son.  

In February 2026, Thompson blew his last $10,000 on a DraftKings parlay after selling his finance company and taking out new mortgages to fund his addiction. Unable to tell his family about the extent of his losses, he texted his therapist that he planned to kill himself, prompting a police intervention.

Cameo is a popular online marketplace and mobile app that allows everyday consumers to buy personalized, custom video messages from celebrities, athletes, influencers, and public figures.

While the platform allows fans to purchase brief, custom video greetings from public figures, its terms of service strictly prohibit those clips from being repurposed for commercial advertising.

‘I Did Not Consent’

“I did not know FanDuel would do this,” Harper wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram on Monday (July 13). “I did not consent to it, and FanDuel had no right to do it.”

“What happened here went beyond anything I knew about or approved,” Harper said, adding that he had no affiliation with FanDuel. He said he joined the celebrity messaging site Cameo so he could “engage with fans.”

“Had I known FanDuel’s true intent, I would not have made the video,” he continued. “The same is true had I known anything about Terry or his situation, or about any alleged ‘partnership’ between Cameo and FanDuel.”

According to Harper, he was approached through Cameo by someone identifying themselves only as “Bryttanni” asking for a personal “holiday video for Terry.” The request came with a short script, which Harper said he read “in good faith.”

He did not know the video would be used for commercial purposes and did not give his consent to FanDuel to add its own logo on it and use it for a gambling promotion, he added.

Lawsuit Names VIP Hosts

Thompson is suing FanDuel in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. The lawsuit, filed on his behalf by the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) on March 24, accuses FanDuel and competitor DraftKings of offering “unreasonably dangerous products that are intentionally designed to maximize addiction.”

It also names VIP hosts who are alleged to have feigned friendships with customers, sending them champagne and Super Bowl tickets to keep them gambling even after they showed signs of addiction.