Fanatics Expected To Qualify As Maryland Sports Betting Operator – Gaming Today

Fanatics founder Michael Rubin (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Fanatics appears to be headed for the Maryland retail sports betting market.

On Thursday, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming (MLG) Commission is expected to qualify the US-based sports merch and trading card company to operate a retail sportsbook in the state in partnership with a yet-unnamed licensed sports betting facility.

That partner could be named by the commission on Thursday.

Entrance into Maryland would cement Fanatics jump into the US sports betting market after several months of speculation.

Long Shots in Frederick and Greenmount Station in Hampstead OTBs that have been awarded Maryland sports betting facility licenses but have yet to begin operations or announce a sportsbook partner are among 17 locations designated to receive a retail sports betting license under Marylands 2021 sports betting law. Those designees include casinos, OTBs, bingo halls, racetracks, and pro sports stadiums, including five casino sportsbooks that have been operational since Dec. 2021.

Fanatics would be the eighth sportsbook approved to operate in Maryland since the state launched retail sports betting last year. The other seven sportsbooks and their retail partners are as follows:

Both Riverboat on the Potomac and Bingo World have been awarded sports betting facility licenses and will launch after completing all regulatory steps. The final step is a state-monitored demonstration of sportsbook operations signed off on by MLG staff.

A June 10 press releasefrom MLG says the facilities are expected to open in the near future.

Retail sports betting in Maryland has been rolling out since Dec. 2021. Still to come is competitive licensing of up to 60 mobile sportsbooks and as many as 30 small retail sportsbooks not designated by law.

Mobile and competitive retail licensing will be overseen by the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC). But the process so far has been slow. To date, SWARC has yet to approve draft regulations and a draft application for the mobile and competitive retail licensing process.

On June 16, SWARC Chairman Tom Brandt reportedly saidhe expects SWARC to begin accepting applications from potential licensees later this summer.

I expect the SWARC applications for mobile sports wagering and additional class B (retail) licenses to be published this summer and for SWARC to begin accepting applications shortly thereafter, Brandt was reported as saying by WTOP News on June 16.

Which retail sportsbooks will apply for mobile licenses is uncertain. But Fanatics would be expected to enter the fray. On May 17, the company filed a trademark application for a mobile sports betting application under the BetFanaticsbrand, according to a May 23 tweet by trademark attorney Josh Gerben.

How Fanatics will fare in Maryland, or anywhere, as a mobile operator remains to be seen. But Fanatics founder Michael Rubin seems intent on success.

Rubin has brought on industry heavyweights like former FanDuel CEO Matt King and told Sports Business Journal his goal is to be the No. 1 player in the world in (the sports betting) business in 10 years.

For now, though, Maryland may be the market to watch for Fanatics.

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Fanatics Expected To Qualify As Maryland Sports Betting Operator - Gaming Today