Fanatics Sports & Casino app launches as single destination for betting ahead of NFL season

The 2026 NFL season has officially kicked off, and for Fanatics, it’s yet another football campaign to impact and enhance the fan experience. For Fanatics Betting and Gaming, it began with the launch of Fanatics Sports & Casino, a single app that was launched last week that gives fans one destination to bet, trade or play and much more. Fanatics Betting and Gaming CEO Matt King called last night’s start to the season "Christmas Eve" and referred to Thursday night’s bout between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in the first-ever NFL game in Australia as "Christmas Day." That’s because King couldn’t be more excited for how his sector of the wide-ranging Fanatics ecosystem continues to grow.

"My belief is we’re building a set of businesses here throughout the entire fan journey to make being a fan better, and I think as we do that, we will be a beloved brand. If we can make your fan journey actually better because you’re doing it end to end with Fanatics, I think there’s a huge power to that," he told FOX Business in a recent interview.

For fans, Fanatics Sports & Casino unites everything that Fanatics Sportsbook, Fanatics Casino and Fanatics Markets has to offer in a single experience, where FanCash, the brand’s loyalty currency that can be redeemed in a variety of ways, is accumulated into one balance and integrated into the Fanatics ONE loyalty program.

From the coast of California to the concrete jungle of New York, the app automatically tailors the experience to each customer’s location, allowing for a seamless journey that was a priority in the eyes of King.

"I think there were two things really important to us before we launched the single app," he explained. "One is exactly what you’re talking about: the regulatory complexity that exists is large-growing between state-regulated products, federal-regulated products. What state is available where and underlying restrictions. I never want to force that complexity on consumers. I want to make it as simple and easy as possible. So, the geo-aware nature was incredibly important.

Fanatics Sportsbook is the fastest growing sportsbook in the U.S., and one of the main reasons is due to the innovation King knew he and his team needed to come up with. One of those key components is FanCash, which no competitor has. Customers are able to use it in 20 different ways from purchasing game tickets, to betting directly on games, to filling out their memorabilia and collectibles. Over 50% of new customers state that FanCash is a primary reason they stay with Fanatics Betting and Gaming.

Then, there’s the introduction of "Fair Play" in 2024, seeing a pain point with sports betters when it came to players being ruled out due to injury, especially for games in the NFL. Fanatics has since become the first to offer "First Half Injury Protection" as well as "Second Half Injury Protection" at no charge to the bettor as part of the new "Fair Play Max."