FanDuel, a sports betting app, is being sued for allegedly using VIP perks to deepen customers’ gambling addictions. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Phillies star and two-time MLB MVP Bryce Harper sent a personalized video message to Terry Thompson, one of the two plaintiffs in the case, as part of FanDuel’s special deal for big spenders.

FanDuel assigns VIP managers to build personal relationships with high rollers like Thompson, who has bet $18.5 million with FanDuel since 2020. According to the lawsuit, he eventually took out a second and third mortgage on his home, lost it in foreclosure, and sought psychiatric treatment for gambling addiction. While these companies often court their top customers with Super Bowl tickets and other perks, the Inquirer found no precedent of an active star athlete like Harper sending this type of personal message to a punter.

In the 21-second video, obtained by the Inquirer, Harper does not directly tell Thompson to bet; however, he mentions that Thompson’s FanDuel host wanted to make sure Thompson had a “very special Thanksgiving.”

The video questions the murky relationship between professional athletes and gambling apps. MLB players are prohibited from gambling: Two pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, were federally indicted last year for allegedly accepting bribes to fix pitches. However, MLB partners widely with sportsbooks and prediction markets like Polymarket, and betting apps are frequently advertised in stadiums and broadcasts.