Fanatics has hired Jason White as the CMO for its new sports betting brand, Fanatics Betting and Gaming.
White has experience with similar roles at MTV and Beats, and will join Michael Rubin’s sports media brand as it looks to expand its divisions to include sports betting.
An e-commerce entrepreneur, Rubin established Fanatics as a seller of sports memorabilia, digital collectibles and trading cards.
In his new role, White believes Fanatics can use its consumer database of 90 million sports fans to its advantage in the online sportsbook gaming market, eventually rivalling US giants FanDuel and DraftKings.
White says he plans to collaborate with market leaders from various industries, including Fanatics board member and Airbnb CMO Jonathan Mildenhall, to develop a cohesive brand strategy across the company’s segments.
Although not yet operational, Fanatics Betting and Gaming filed a trademark application this year, winning approval to do business in Maryland. New York, however, denied the application, meaning Fanatics will have to resubmit a proposal.
Despite this, White feels Fanatics’ sports betting brand will be a success. He sees an opportunity in an industry that typically struggles with high customer acquisition costs and low customer loyalty.
Using Fanatics’ data, White hopes to immediately tap into consumer preference analytics to grow the sportsbook at pace.
“We’re going to want to build the brand and the business at the same time,” said White.
The new CMO joins Fanatics Betting Gaming Chief Executive Matt King in exploring the sports betting market for Fanatics.
In May this year, Fanatics added two new members to its leadership team, with Lydia Jett and Mildenhall appointed to its Board of Directors.
