Fanatics nabs FanDuel director for retail betting role

Fanatics has appointed FanDuel senior director of partner relations Andrew Kleiman to be its new VP of retail for its fledgling betting and igaming business.

Kleiman leaves the US sports betting market leader after three years in the partner relations role.

He first joined FanDuel in May 2019 as a senior director of operations for the firm’s retail sportsbook at Meadowlands Sports Complex in New Jersey.

Previously, Kleiman spent six years as a VP of operations for New York-based furniture company Empire Office. He has also served in directorial and operational roles in food and beverage-related companies for more than a decade.

The hire is Fanatics’ second in the space of a week, with the firm tapping ex-Boom Entertainment VP Chris Fargis to become its new senior director of trading risk.

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Fanatics operates a global sports merchandising business across 11 countries as well as an NFT marketplace division, Candy Digital.

Fanatics primarily operates as an online retailer of licensed sportswear, sports equipment, and merchandise and runs the e-commerce websites of major professional sports leagues including the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL.

Fanatics created its betting and gaming division as a conduit for its sports betting and igaming ambitions, staking a claim with the key hire of FanDuel CEO Matt King to an unspecified role in June 2021.

Later in August, the merchandiser declared its interest in obtaining a mobile sports betting license in New York, in conjunction with Roc Nation founder and US rap legend Jay-Z.

Ultimately those ambitions were dented by the New York State Gaming Commission, which did not award the global sports merchandiser a license in the market.

However, Fanatics has remained undaunted in its ambitions to expand into sports betting, with the company making strategic moves and hires in the sector.

In October 2021, Fanatics submitted applications to the US Patents and Trademarks Office to trademark proposed downloadable mobile betting and casino apps under the name of ‘Fanatics Casino’ and ‘Fanatics Sportsbook’.

Earlier this year, in May, Fanatics applied to register the “BETFANATICS” trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), submitting two applications geared around mobile sports betting and online gaming.

Long linked with an acquisition of a US-based sportsbook to jumpstart its sportsbook push, reports earlier this year claimed Fanatics had purchased coding and platform software from sportsbook technology supplier Amelco. These reports were later denied by the operator.

However, rumors have not gone away, with the firm credited with a potential move for leading German operator Tipico, reports which remain unconfirmed by either party.

As preparation, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin sold his 10% stake in Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment (HBSE)-owned NBA franchise the Philadelphia 76ers as well as NHL side the New Jersey Devils due to a conflict of interest with league rules regarding betting companies.

To date, Fanatics has only been approved for a sports betting facility operator license in Maryland, however the launch of sports betting in the Free State remains some way off.