NFL signs Fanatics as sportsbook partner

• Fanatics has signed a multi-year deal naming Fanatics Sportsbook an NFL sports betting partner, with Fanatics Casino also gaining official status in four states.
• The agreement fills the NFL’s vacant sportsbook sponsorship category after multi-year deals with FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars expired at the end of March.
• Terms were undisclosed, but the deal was expected to be formally announced before the September 9 season opener, per Sports Business Journal.

Fanatics has signed a multi-year agreement to become an official NFL sportsbook partner, with Fanatics Casino also gaining official NFL online-casino status.

First reported by Sports Business Journal, the deal fills the league’s vacant sportsbook sponsorship category after multi-year agreements with FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars expired at the end of March. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Filling a sponsor gap

The NFL first opened its sportsbook sponsor category in 2021, when it struck tri-exclusive agreements with FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars. Those deals expired at the end of March, leaving the league’s official sportsbook sponsorship category vacant heading into the new season.

Fanatics steps into the role on a non-exclusive basis, meaning the NFL remains free to sign additional operators as the season progresses. The agreement was expected to be formally announced before the season opener on September 9, according to Sports Business Journal.

The deal builds on an existing relationship: Fanatics already serves as the NFL’s retail and merchandise partner under a separate long-term agreement signed in April.

Under the deal, Fanatics gains access to NFL media inventory, including in-game advertising opportunities and media sponsorships with the league’s broadcast partners. It also unlocks hospitality and premium fan experiences tied to marquee events including the Super Bowl and NFL Draft.

Genius data sticking point

Negotiations between the NFL, FanDuel and DraftKings remain unresolved, according to sources cited by Sports Business Journal.

The reported sticking point is the rising cost of official streaming data supplied by Genius Sports, the league’s exclusive data distributor. The supplier recently touted a record World Cup uptime for its live-data feeds, underlining how central that infrastructure has become to sportsbook operations.

A Genius Sports data agreement is understood to be a requirement for the broader NFL rights package, though it is not clear whether Fanatics accepted the same pricing terms that have stalled talks with FanDuel and DraftKings.

Caesars, which trailed its two rivals in sportsbook market share during the previous sponsorship cycle, has not been reported as pursuing a renewed NFL deal.

Betting market stakes

The partnership arrives as legal NFL wagering keeps growing. The American Gaming Association estimated Americans would wager about $30 billion through legal US sportsbooks during the 2025 season, up 8.5% on its estimate for the year before.

With a concentrated weekly schedule and some of the largest television audiences in US sport, the NFL generates outsized betting volume relative to its number of games, making sponsor status valuable for customer acquisition.

Fanatics Sportsbook is currently available in 23 US states and Washington, D.C. Fanatics Casino operates in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The operator has also been expanding beyond its core US footprint, recently securing an AGCO registration for its casino brand in Ontario.

Rivals are also gearing up for kickoff. FanDuel recently renewed its GeoComply partnership to strengthen geolocation compliance ahead of the season. DraftKings posted record quarterly betting volume in its most recent results, even as payouts weighed on profit, and enters the season after analysts spent July trimming its price targets.

Fanatics has long positioned itself as a challenger to the duopoly FanDuel and DraftKings hold over US sports betting market share. Official NFL status gives the operator additional media exposure to pursue that goal, even as Caesars steps back from the category.

Its effect on customer acquisition and market share will become clearer once the regular season kicks off.