Sportsbook and iGaming operator Fanatics has recently added two individuals — Briana Reid and Eva Pulliam — to its legal team to strengthen the department’s backbone in time for the official launch of the North Carolina betting market.
They will assume their responsibilities before the Tar Heel State’s betting market goes live on March 11, 2024.
In June 2023, Fanatics appointed Gregg Winiarski as the company’s chief legal officer. Last month, Reid joined the team as a state compliance analyst. Despite being a lawyer, Reid will work closely with the regulatory team and report to Michael Levine, Fanatics’ senior regulatory counsel. Before signing up for Fanatics, Reid was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) lawyer.
Meanwhile, Pulliam has been named the vice president of legal product and marketing at Fanatics. She was a data privacy and regulatory affairs partner at her previous company, ArentFox Schiff, where she worked for over a decade. Pulliam will focus on legal issues arising during the development and upgrading of mobile applications owned by Fanatics. She will report to Jane Pollack, the senior vice president of legal.
Fanatics eagerly waiting for approval in NC
Months after Gov. Roy Cooper signed House Bill 347 into law to green-light online sports betting in North Carolina, the NC State Lottery Commission opened the initial application process for sportsbook operators. The deadline for the initial draft of applications was Dec. 27, 2023. Fanatics was one of the first seven operators to submit its application for an NC betting permit.
Fanatics’ application and those of all other prospective operators are under review. If the state’s regulator is content with the information provided, Fanatics Sportsbook NC will receive its license to operate legally in North Carolina. The next challenge after obtaining the permit will be to nab a respectable market share in the jurisdiction, which won’t be an easy task with giants like DraftKings Sportsbook NC, and FanDuel Sportsbook NC likely entering the NC market.
How did Fanatics meet prerequisites for NC license?
Many states in the US require online betting operators to partner with a professional sports team or venue to qualify for the license application process. North Carolina is one of those states, so Fanatics struck a partnership deal with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Under this partnership, the operator became the team’s official sports betting partner.
This strategic collaboration will not only help Fanatics obtain eligibility for a license in North Carolina but also help it build an initial consumer base comprising the supporters of the Carolina Hurricanes. Fanatics will also have the option to launch a retail sportsbook outlet at or near PNC Arena, home of the ‘Canes.
Is the retail segment important for Fanatics?
Operators generate most of their revenue from the online and mobile betting segments, but some bettors still prefer the traditional betting methods at retail outlets. Fanatics appears interested in pursuing the retail betting market. Of all the operators that have entered North Carolina, Fanatics and the Carolina Hurricanes have expressed the most interest in developing a retail sportsbook.
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