Home Fanatics sportsbook to launch prediction markets via new Crypto.com partnership soon

Fanatics sportsbook to launch prediction markets via new Crypto.com partnership soon

The digital sportsbook Fanatics will be the latest to join the prediction markets game, as the CEO announces their intentions to launch in this space soon.

The CEO, Michael Rubin, was interviewed on CNBC, with the announcement coming amid a discussion about the company’s new F1 partnership.

In a statement to ReadWrite, a Fanatics spokesperson confirmed the news: “Today on CNBC, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin announced our plans to enter the predictions market in partnership with Crypto.com. We will have more specific details to share in the coming weeks.”

The confirmation comes after rumors have been swirling for some time, with Rubin explaining in the interview why the sportsbook is making this addition: “From our perspective, if there’s a business that is important to our customers, we want to be in there and do it better.”

The CEO continued to comment on the prediction markets industry: “I think the winners in this are going to be the sportsbooks…I think we have such strategic advantages from the enormous customer base we have to all the experience.”

When asked by interviewer Sara Eisen if he’s referring to the likes of Kalshi and Polymarket, he added ‘definitely.’

Sportsbooks like Fanatics are starting to enter prediction markets industry

For a while, Kalshi and Polymarket have been the most dominant companies in the space and it’s an industry which has caused controversy. Some states are against prediction markets and have made their feelings known through letters and notices to licensees, while some are leaving operators without licenses.

In Nevada, the gaming regulators have ‘accepted the surrender’ of licenses from DraftKings and Flutter Entertainment while the state continues to battle in court over whether sports even contracts and political prediction markets are even legal.

DraftKings and FanDuel both walked away from the American Gaming Association (AGA) this week because of their involvement in prediction markets. Fanatics, meanwhile, is still listed as an AGA member.

Now, though, prediction markets are starting to enter into the mainstream as more sportsbooks involve themselves.

Fanatics won’t be the only sportsbook-based company to join the space either, as it was recently announced that gambling giant FanDuel would be launching ‘FanDuel Predicts.’ The soon-to-be app is being launched through a partnership with derivatives marketplace CME Group and it’s expected to be available in December.

Featured Image: Screenshot via CNBC video interview

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Sophie Atkinson
Freelance Journalist

Sophie Atkinson is a UK-based journalist and content writer, as well as a founder of a content agency which focuses on storytelling through social media marketing. She kicked off her career with a Print Futures Award which champions young talent working in print, paper and publishing. Heading straight into a regional newsroom, after graduating with a BA (Hons) degree in Journalism, Sophie started by working for Reach PLC. Now, with five years experience in journalism and many more in content marketing, Sophie works as a freelance writer and marketer. Her areas of specialty span a wide range, including technology, business,…