Fanatics follows PointsBet deal with Massachusetts sportsbook approval
Operator to launch in Commonwealth before end of May as expansion plans proceed apace
Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG) has been approved to launch its sports betting operations in Massachusetts following a meeting of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC).
At a meeting of the MGC, which took place on Tuesday afternoon, FBG was found to have passed all necessary inspections of its software, with the MGC recommending approval of a certificate clearing the way for the launch.
In the meeting, MGC director of sports betting Bruce Band informed commissioners that FBG would likely begin operating in the Commonwealth by the end of May.
Fanatics had previously been deemed a suitable applicant for a sports betting license by the MGC in January, and would later have its house rules approved by the MGC in April.
Fanatics category 3 sports betting license is tethered to the Plainridge Park Casino, which has obtained a category 1 license in the state.
The brand is the second partner of Plainridge Park, along with Barstool Sports, which was also granted a license in January.
FBG’s sportsbook has been the subject of beta testing in both Tennessee and Ohio, and is now live in theses states, with the caveat that it is only available to Fanatics customers in receipt of an access code via an email from the company.
It is understood this format will be used by the firm as it brings its sportsbook offering to Massachusetts.
The news is the second major piece of the puzzle in FBG’s expansion plans to occur in the space of a week, following Monday’s announcement that FBG would acquire PointsBet’s US division for a cost of $150m.
PointsBet was previously deemed a suitable applicant for a sportsbook license in Massachusetts by the MGC, but would later pull its application in February, out of a desire to focus its efforts and financial resources on its existing US operation rather than new states.
In the same MGC meeting, commissioners considered the implementation of a new requirement that operators place the words “21-plus” in a visible area of all advertising, preferably under the operator’s respective logo.
If approved, Massachusetts would be the first state in the US to impose this obligation, with the move affecting in-stadia advertising at the likes of the TD Garden, Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium.
MGC commissioners Eileen O’Brien and Jordan Maynard expressed their support for the change, while chair Cathy Judd-Stein, commissioner Brad Hill, and Nakisha Skinner were against it.
The proposal has been tabled and will be discussed at the next MGC meeting scheduled for June.