Fanatics promotes Alex Smith to Chief Legal Office, brings in ex-regulator Tait
- Alex Smith has been promoted to Chief Legal Officer at Fanatics Betting and Gaming, joining the executive team under CEO Matt King.
- Sara Tait, former Indiana Gaming Commission executive director, joins as SVP and Head of Legal and Regulated Industries.
- The dual appointments come as FBG operates across sports betting, online casino, and prediction markets across a broad US footprint.
Fanatics Betting and Gaming has bolstered its senior legal bench with two appointments, promoting Alex Smith to Chief Legal Officer and hiring Sara Tait as Senior Vice President and Head of Legal and Regulated Industries, as the company pushes deeper into multiple regulated US verticals.
The announcement was made on March 16, 2026, from New York.
Smith steps up to C-suite
Smith joins the FBG executive team after joining the company in November 2021 as Vice President of Legal and Regulatory Compliance, following nearly three years at FanDuel.
He is a 2008 West Point graduate and a 2016 Vanderbilt University Law School graduate, and also served five years in the US Army.
Reporting to CEO Matt King, Smith will lead legal, regulatory, compliance, and government affairs strategy for the company’s sports betting and iGaming division.
He is credited with driving the rapid state-by-state rollout of Fanatics Sportsbook, which is available in more than 20 states.
Matt King, CEO of Fanatics Betting and Gaming, said:
“Alex was one of our first hires, and he helped build the legal and regulatory apparatus that has allowed us to launch products rapidly in legal sports betting, iCasino and prediction markets. As we continue to grow, Alex is the perfect person to lead our legal and regulatory functions into the future.”
Tait brings regulator experience
Tait spent more than ten years at the Indiana Gaming Commission, including as executive director until September 2021. Since then she worked as a partner at law firms Ice Miller and Duane Morris.
Reporting to Smith, Tait is responsible for developing and managing FBG’s relationships with federal and state regulators, contributing to government affairs efforts, furthering consumer protection measures, and maintaining licenses and registrations with federal and state oversight bodies.
Those bodies include federal agencies such as the CFTC, which provides federal oversight for certain prediction market activity. Fanatics Markets, the company’s prediction platform, is available in 24 US states.
Smith said of the hire:
“Sara is a well-respected former gaming regulator who also has experience in the private sector, making her the ideal choice to lead critical legal and regulatory efforts. The legal and regulatory landscape for sports betting, iCasino and prediction markets are constantly changing and having someone who has been on both sides of the regulatory landscape will be invaluable to us as we continue our growth trajectory.”
Tait added:
“Choosing to join Fanatics Betting & Gaming was a clear decision for me, rooted in the company’s incredible talent, strong leadership and strategic vision. I look forward to leaning into this new role and making an impact.”
Scaling across verticals
The appointments reflect the growing complexity of FBG’s regulatory obligations. Its online casino product operates in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, alongside the sportsbook and the prediction markets platform, each governed by distinct federal and state regulatory frameworks.
With prediction markets under increasing scrutiny from state gaming regulators and the CFTC managing federal oversight, the addition of a former state gaming commission executive director to FBG’s legal team provides direct institutional knowledge of both sides of the enforcement table.
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