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Think of it as a cold open at the trendy new noodle joint in your neighborhood. Friends and family only at first, to work out the kinks.
Fanatics Sportsbook plans to launch its first two online sports betting apps in Tennessee and Ohio on Monday, a spokesperson confirmed to Gaming Today, with customers on its current database the first to give it a try.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news in a piece about the future ambitions of the massive sports apparel retailer.
Fanatics plans to launch mobile apps in Maryland and Massachusetts by June, helping the company toward founder Michael Rubin’s goal of at least 12 states by the commencement of the lucrative NFL betting season. Currently, the company’s only outlet is a retail Fanatic Sportsbook in FedEx Field, home of the Washington Commanders, in Maryland.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission could rubber-stamp Fanatics by approving its certificate of operations on May 4.
Fanatics Monday Rollout Explained
All residents of Ohio and Tennessee will be able to download the Fanatics sports betting app on Monday through Android and IOS app markets. But everyone will need an access code to wager.
Current Fanatics customers will be provided a shortcut and special access code via email invitation linking directly to the app. If a resident of those two states wants to bet with Fanatics and is not on the database, this weekend might be a good time to buy a hat.
Once inside the sports betting app after providing the requisite sign-up documentation, users will be able to begin accumulating FanCash.
LEARN MORE: Fanatics Promo Code
How FanCash works:
- For a single bet, customers will receive 1% of their stake back in FanCash.
- 3% for a parlay
- 5% for a same-game parlay
Example: A $100 SGP would be worth $5 in FanCash and get you just a bit closer to that $129.99 Aaron Rodgers Jets jersey (if anyone in Ohio or Tennessee was into that). FanCash can also be applied to bonus bets and discounts.
Fanatics Rollout Needs to Get Rolling for NFL Season
Rubin expects a user base of 95 million from the apparel division to help get the company up to speed five years after the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act made the legalization of sports betting possible on a state-by-state basis. FanDuel, by comparison, brought a database of about five million from daily fantasy before becoming the national sports betting market share leader.
Fanatics would leverage those previous customers just as a gigantic pool of email addresses from daily fantasy sports helped FanDuel and DraftKings establish an early presence as sports betting operators.
During beta testing in Tennessee, Fanatics users have been queried on preferences for various cosmetic aspects of the app. In the future, a curated experience is expected to produce a personalized betting page where bettors can find their favorite teams quickly.
Fanatics said when approved for launch in Tennessee:
“On Wednesday March 1, Fanatics Betting and Gaming received approval from the Tennessee Sports Wagering Advisory Council to go live online in Tennessee with the Fanatics Sportsbook. We started this journey with the goal of developing the best product and experience for sports fans. Today, in Tennessee, we are giving a small group of customers access to our beta product to help us do just that. We are incredibly excited to work with our customers, get their feedback, and deliver the product that sports fans deserve for our public launch later this year.”
