Getting Sportsbook VIP Hosts to Leave You Alone

Your phone buzzes on your birthday. It's your "VIP host" from the sportsbook, wishing you a good one. A week when you're down, there's a bonus waiting. Another time, it's tickets. It feels personal, and it's built to. VIP programs are aimed at a sportsbook's highest-value customers: people who bet big and often, including people whose betting shows signs of a problem.

What sportsbook VIP hosts do

In US online betting, VIP hosts (sometimes called account managers) reach out directly by text and email with bonus credits, deposit matches, event tickets and gifts. The UK's Gambling Commission describes VIP schemes as tailored bonuses, gifts, hospitality and special service given to high-value customers "to maintain or increase their custom."

The research backs up the worry. An Australian study found about 46% of problem gamblers used loyalty programs, compared with about 10% of people without a gambling problem. The authors couldn't say which causes which, but that overlap is hard to ignore.

What's come out about VIP programs

• A reporter's experiment. In September 2026, a ProPublica reporter bet on DraftKings the way a problem gambler would. The day after he lost about $1,800 chasing losses, he got an invitation to DraftKings' "VIP Showcase." He was given a personal VIP rep. Less than a week after a cool-off he'd set ended, that rep added $1,250 in DK Dollars to his deposit. DraftKings said its system worked the way it was supposed to.
• Hosts named in a lawsuit. A March 2026 lawsuit in Philadelphia became the first to name individual sportsbook VIP hosts as defendants, from both FanDuel and DraftKings. The plaintiffs allege more than $2 million in losses, and that a host kept sending gifts after one of them self-excluded. These are allegations, and the case is ongoing.
• The Bryce Harper video. Court records showed a FanDuel VIP host sent a customer, who had lost about $1.5 million, a personalized video from Phillies star Bryce Harper. Harper later said he wouldn't have made it if he'd known FanDuel's intent. In September 2026, FanDuel told members of Congress it had sent about 30 personalized athlete or celebrity videos to customers over two years, and that it wouldn't end its VIP program.
• Regulators stepping in. Colorado fined Fanatics $20,000 in 2026 after a VIP team member texted promotions to a customer who had joined the state's self-exclusion list. Massachusetts regulators have been reviewing VIP programs and sent a case about BetMGM promotions to self-excluded people to a hearing.
• Bills to limit them. The federal SAFE Bet Act would ban VIP programs. A Massachusetts bill would stop sportsbooks from paying anyone based on a customer's bets or deposits, and a New Jersey bill would ban bonuses for people using responsible gaming tools. None had become law as of October 2026.

What each sportsbook calls its VIP program

How to make a VIP host stop contacting you

1. Self-exclude. It's the strongest protection you have. In states like Pennsylvania, self-excluded people can't receive targeted marketing, comps or player club benefits. Read how state self-exclusion works, and each account guide shows how to self-exclude on that app.
2. Ask in writing to be removed. Email the sportsbook's support or responsible gaming team. Ask to be taken off the VIP program, all marketing and all text messages. Keep a copy.
3. Turn off communications in your account settings, reply STOP to marketing texts, and block the host's number.
4. Don't count on a cool-off. In the ProPublica test, the bonus money showed up less than a week after a cool-off ended.
5. Report any contact after you've self-excluded. Save the texts and emails and send them to your state's gaming regulator. Regulators have fined sportsbooks for exactly this.

If your host made you feel special

A lot of people feel a real connection with their host. Hosts are often friendly. They remember your kids' names and check in when you're down. That can make quitting feel like you're letting someone down. You don't owe a sportsbook employee anything. If it helps, tell someone you trust about the relationship, so it's out in the open.

FAQ

What is a sportsbook VIP host?

A sportsbook employee, sometimes called an account manager, who's assigned to high-volume customers. Hosts reach out directly with bonuses, gifts, tickets and offers.

How do I get removed from a sportsbook VIP program?

Self-exclusion is the most reliable way. You can also email support and ask to be removed from VIP, marketing and texts, turn off communications in your account, and block the host's number.

Can a sportsbook contact me after I self-exclude?

State rules generally prohibit marketing to self-excluded people, and regulators have fined sportsbooks for doing it. If it happens to you, save the messages and report them to your state gaming regulator.

Are VIP programs legal?

As of October 2026, they are. Federal and state bills have been proposed to ban or limit them, but none had passed.

Written by the Unbettable team · Updated October 8, 2026

Sources: ProPublica: posing as a problem gambler on DraftKings (2026); WBUR: Massachusetts reviews VIP and loyalty programs (2025); UK Gambling Commission: VIP rules (2020); Delfabbro and King, Journal of Behavioral Addictions (2020); Northeastern Law: VIP hosts sued for the first time (2026); WHYY/AP: Bryce Harper and the FanDuel video (2026); SBC Americas: FanDuel's response to Congress (2026); SBC Americas: Colorado fines Fanatics (2026); GamblingHarm: BetMGM Massachusetts case; Bonus.com: SAFE Bet Act (2025); SBC Americas: Massachusetts bill (2026); CDC Gaming: New Jersey bill (2026); DraftKings: DraftKings Rewards; FanDuel: Sportsbook Rewards Club terms; SBC Americas: Fanatics ONE (2025); Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board: self-exclusion.

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