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Fanatics wants to compete with DraftKings and FanDuel in the sports betting space, and the company is taking a tactful approach to entering states. The Fanatics Sportsbook is now live in Tennessee, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Maryland, but only in a beta-testing capacity instead of available to the general public in those states.
As a Maryland resident, I filled out a Fanatics survey in hopes of gaining access to the sportsbook platform. A day or two afterward, I received an email from Fanatics with a sign-up code for the beta product.
“Congratulations!” the email said. “We are excited to have your help in building a better sports betting experience for fans of every sport.”
Signing up for the beta testing was surprisingly easy, as all I needed to do was fill out the online survey, plug in my promotional code, and verify my identity. The process moved quicker than my sign-up experience at several other mobile sportsbooks.
The beta version of Fanatics Sportsbook doesn’t quite compare to other sportsbooks, as the app includes a significantly limited bet menu. My app featured major sports leagues like the NBA, MLB, NHL, and WNBA betting markets, but other events such as those in college sports were among the unavailable markets.
Despite the limited menu, Fanatics did offer a promotion that included $200 worth of bonus bets after I placed a first bet of at least $5. The offer came in the form of 10 $20 bonus bets, giving me ample opportunity to turn the bonus wagers into cash.
Similar experience to major players
Given Fanatics’ desire to compete with industry giants such as DraftKings and FanDuel, it’s only fair to compare the mobile platform to those competitors. While DraftKings and FanDuel have a much more robust betting menu than Fanatics’ beta product, Fanatics Sportsbook held its own in terms of user experience.
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It was easy to navigate the betting menu, and it shouldn’t take long for a recreational bettor to adjust to the Fanatics Sportsbook interface. Finding bets, especially with a limited menu, feels straightforward and simple.
The user experience was mostly comparable with other major mobile sportsbooks, although some of the options showed up larger in size on the screen than with other platforms. For example, DraftKings’ home page allows users to see multiple betting markets to explore, while also including a few promotional offerings. Fanatics Sportsbook’s homepage, perhaps due to the limited nature of the beta product, featured much larger text and images and didn’t include the same volume of offerings on each page compared to DraftKings.
Even though it felt oversized, the discover tab was somewhat helpful, as it offered Maryland-specific baseball bets upon my sign-up. I’m not a lifelong Maryland resident, so wagering on the Baltimore Orioles isn’t any more exciting to me than betting on any other MLB game, but for some users that localization is likely an appreciated touch.
Unfortunately, a couple of days into my using the app, the bet menu wouldn’t load for about an hour. A brief discussion with an automated customer service tool ultimately led to an email sent to a human customer service representative, although that email was never answered. Including easier access to a human representative for customer service problems would be a helpful change as Fanatics Sportsbook goes live with a fully operational product across the U.S.
My issue of not seeing the betting menu was quickly remedied, although it’s unclear if that was due to my specific customer service interaction or just a planned behind-the-scenes fix by the operator working through a bug.
Additionally, there was one notable oddity when golf was added to the betting menu. This week’s U.S. Open appeared as a betting market, and the preview of the futures market appeared normal. Once a user clicked through to see the full futures board, however, the names were jumbled in a way that didn’t make any logical sense.
The players weren’t listed in alphabetical order or by odds to win the tournament, which made it confusing to try to find certain players and their odds. DraftKings, FanDuel, and other major operators often list players by odds from shortest to longest.
Can Fanatics compete?
While a sleek user interface is nice, what industry professionals are most curious about is Fanatics Sportsbook’s ability to compete for customers with companies like BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, and FanDuel. It takes more than a nice app or website to break into the top of the U.S. sports betting market.
Fanatics hopes unique offerings like FanCash, which can lead to discounts on merchandise, help set it apart from sports betting peers. I received a few $.05 credits of FanCash from Fanatics for placing bets, although making a nickel from a bet isn’t going to alter my shopping habits or prompt me to bet more frequently.
How exactly Fanatics will leverage its merchandising arm to benefit its sports betting operation remains to be seen. Last month, customers making purchases at Fanatics.com were being offered a chance to obtain bonus bets of an equal amount — up to $500 — if they became sportsbook customers. The Ohio Casino Control Commission objected to the offering, and Fanatics ended the promotion.
Still, Fanatics’ merchandising channels gives the company a unique advantage over some of its sports betting peers. Even if bettors only receive small quantities of FanCash from wagers placed on the Fanatics Sportsbook platform, if the odds and interface are comparable to DraftKings and FanDuel, why wouldn’t some look to Fanatics Sportsbook?
Fanatics recently announced plans to buy PointsBet’s U.S. business, an acquisition that will give the sports betting operator access to more states as it tries to catch up to the market lead held by DraftKings and FanDuel. That’s a major boost to the company’s plans to quickly compete across at least 10 states, and it appears to be working hard to develop a user-friendly product by the time it does so.
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