Fanatics Betting & Gaming has secured an agreement with the Connecticut Lottery Corporation to be its exclusive provider of mobile and retail sports betting.
Expected to take place in mid-December, launching in Connecticut will make it 15 states for Fanatics, which began its official roll-out over the summer.
Under the terms of the deal, Fanatics will launch its sportsbook app in the Constitution State, where will compete with FanDuel and DraftKings.
“We are excited to be working with the CLC to bring the Fanatics Sportsbook to customers in Connecticut,” said Ari Borod, Chief Business Officer. “We are looking forward to bringing the Fanatics experience to the ten retail locations throughout Connecticut and more importantly, adding our innovative mobile app to the online choices available in Connecticut.”
Fanatics has been building significant momentum throughout 2023 for its sportsbook platform, catalyzed by its $225m buyout of PointsBet’s US division which gave it access to 14 states.
The sportsbook replaces Rush Street Interactive as the Connecticut Lottery’s sports betting partner after the operator left its contract early. This was because, while the other two operators can offer online casino, the lottery’s partner cannot per state law.
RSI noted that this was hampering its ability to gain market share on the other operators in the state, but it also failed to match its strategy of targeting multi-product states.
While Fanatics may not have an online casino at the moment, this law may impact their business as DraftKings and FanDuel can offer both sports betting and online casino in one app.
However, the Connecticut Lottery has told Fanatics that it expects to see improved results under this new partnership.
“Fanatics is the only true sports brand in the gaming space and has established itself as an innovator in the industry,” said Greg Smith, CLC President & CEO.
“We have been impressed with the Fanatics team, their aggressive entry into the US sports betting market, and we are excited to see how they redefine the sports betting customer experience here in Connecticut. CLC anticipates notable market share growth as a result of this partnership.”
