Lions And Tigers And VIPs, Oh Why

Imagine you’re at a crosswalk and you’ve got the walk signal. Clear as day. There’s the picture of the stick figure guy, happily traipsing along. It’s all right there in front of you. It is, literally and legally, time to walk.

Also imagine at the same time an 18-wheeler barreling down the road, with the driver almost certainly not paying attention. You’re pretty sure he’s about to blow through the red light and smash into anyone in the crosswalk.

You are 100% in the right to continue walking. You have the right of way. That’s the rules.

Of course, if you do continue walking, you are probably going to catch the business end of the 18-wheeler and find yourself somewhere in between dead and very, very, very dead.

In such a case, the prudent decision would be to let the truck pass and live to fight another day.

Which brings me to last week’s sports betting VIP controversy du jour, in which FanDuel decided to stick a metaphorical toe in the crosswalk before quickly retreating to the equally metaphorical curb.

Here’s the deal, as first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer: FanDuel reached out to its VIPs in the Philly area and invited them — and their families — to the Philadelphia Zoo for the annual “Boo at the Zoo” shindig.

To be clear, the “Boo at the Zoo” is not an NC-17 event. It’s G. It’s for kids. The featured image on the website showed what looked to be a 3-year-old dressed as Minnie Mouse acquiring a piece of candy. Super-duper wholesome stuff.

What FanDuel did here, sending out invites to VIPs and by extension their kids … can we get 10 hours of Jonah Hill rubbing the bridge of his nose please?

A few days later, FanDuel canceled its invite, “following guidance from our regulators,” according to the email sent to the VIPs, which was obtained by The Inquirer. It read, “Ensuring that we’re operating in partnership and compliance with our regulators is foundational to the experience that we’re able to provide you as a customer … We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you to another experience in the future.”

Come on

My initial gut reaction to this was pure WTF. Like, here we are, in a moment in time when the media, regulators, and politicians are all breathing down the necks of the online sportsbooks about how they handle their VIP programs, and here’s FanDuel inviting their VIPs to bring their children to a child-themed event sponsored by FanDuel? Do we need another 10 hours of Jonah Hill?

“Children of parents who gamble frequently are 80% more likely to experience problem gambling, and the overwhelming majority of those with a gambling addiction began gambling when they were underaged,” Brianne Doura-Schawohl, a problem gambling consultant who is director of the national Campaign for Fairer Gambling, told Casino Reports.

Of course, no one is saying that gambling was going to be front and center at this since-canceled event, but to Doura-Schawohl, it hardly matters.

“Now, I don't think this event was going to involve parents and children wagering on how much the hippos eat, but bringing children to an event organized by a gambling company makes those children aware of gambling,” she said. “They might even conflate gambling with a positive result, like a free trip to the zoo.

“What this incident showcases,” she continued, “is why regulators need to exert more control and offer more direction on how VIP programs work. This is the latest in a string of incidents that indicate gambling operators lack the restraint and caution to be left to their own devices.”

So there’s your bear case argument pertaining to the Great Zoo Conflagration of 2026, and it’s an easy one to make.

But maybe … well, is it THAT big a deal? I mean, even if FanDuel banners were going to be draped all over the place (they weren’t) is this any different than a kid catching a gambling commercial?

And besides, it’s not like other vice industries completely sit out the kid stuff.

Listen, if FanDuel were handing out parlay slips instead of Reese’s, this would be an issue. But treating their best* customers to a day of family fun hardly seems like end-of-the-world type stuff (*your mileage may vary on “best”).

And yet … in this climate, with so much energy being focused on VIP programs, this sure seems like an easily avoidable rake to not step on.

Not too smart

“I don't think there was any specific mal-intent, but the optics were bad. They probably should have realized that,” said Isaac Rose-Berman, who studies gambling research and policy for the American Institute for Boys and Men. “I think any time you're doing something with kids as a gambling company, you should be extra careful or probably just not do it at all.”

But far from a scold, Rose-Berman took time to point out something FanDuel is doing with its VIP program that … well, that is exactly what VIP programs should be doing.

FanDuel has a program called “Bet Protect+,” in which bettors, for an added 3% fee, can buy full-game injury insurance on player props.

But for VIPs (at least for the month of October), it’s a free add-on.

“That, I think, is the perfect VIP promotion,” Rose-Berman said. “I think it's great because it is a real benefit that people use and that they would want, but it's not something that induces them to gamble more. And from the company's perspective, it keeps all of the money within the FanDuel ecosystem. So it's cheaper, easier, and better for them than having to buy sports tickets or go to the zoo or ask athletes to send a Cameo.”

I’d imagine most VIPs would be pretty happy with that. And if they want to take the kids to the zoo, they can buy tickets like everyone else.

I’m still not convinced the zoo invitation deserved all the outrage. But I am convinced FanDuel could’ve spent about four seconds thinking about how it would land.

Someone says, “Wait, we’re inviting kids?” and then everyone goes back to figuring out what to give the adults who actually have accounts. This isn’t that hard.