The NFL has ended a months-long gap in its official sportsbook partner category by signing Fanatics, according to a Sports Business Journal report carried by The Big Lead. The league's previous multiyear deals with FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars all expired at the end of March. Awful Announcing reported that DraftKings and FanDuel were reluctant to renew because the cost of the in-app streaming service supplied by Genius had risen. Fanatics is now expected to gain promotion rights across NFL media and game broadcasts, though the financial terms have not been made public.
Why the previous deals ended
All three existing sports betting contracts with the NFL lapsed quietly this year, leaving DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars without active league partnerships, according to Awful Announcing. Sports Business Journal, as relayed by The Big Lead, said Fanatics had signed as an official sportsbook of the league, ending a standstill that left the sponsorship category vacant after the March expiry. The new arrangement was due to be announced before the start of the season.
The streaming fee dispute
The reported sticking point for DraftKings and FanDuel was a service called BetVision, which let people who placed an NFL bet watch the game inside the operator's app. Awful Announcing said Genius powered those streams and much of the data sharing between the league and gambling companies, and it recently increased its prices. The NFL requires any sportsbook partner to complete a separate contract with Genius, whose feeds include real-time graphics and statistics meant to guide bettors. Because those data costs went up, DraftKings and FanDuel paused before renewing, and Fanatics entered the space.
What Fanatics obtains
Fanatics will be able to advertise its sportsbook across NFL-controlled channels and to show commercials during game broadcasts. It will also work with the league on premium experiences. The company began as a memorabilia seller and has expanded into experiences and content. No financial details have been disclosed. Sports Business Journal had reported that the NFL's previous partners paid roughly $200 million combined per year, which Awful Announcing described as a significant win for Fanatics.
Integrity and scrutiny
The arrangement arrives as the league balances the income from legal wagering with efforts to protect public trust in its competitions. The Big Lead noted that the NFL has suspended players for gambling violations and keeps strict rules around betting activity. The NFL and NCAA had also faced the threat of lawsuits from Brendan Sorsby after he sought to play professionally in 2026, though his case concerned eligibility rather than wagering. The league denied him entry into the supplemental draft on eligibility grounds, and that decision came as wider legal questions about sports betting continue to develop.
Unanswered questions about viewing habits
Awful Announcing said the Fanatics contract could bring renewed scrutiny to the value of Genius data and in-app streams, which are common in other sports. The report asked whether users were actually watching games through DraftKings or FanDuel rather than via NFL Sunday Ticket or local television networks. If that was not happening, it said, the NFL's requirement that Genius be part of sportsbook partnerships would face sharper questions. No financial terms for the Fanatics deal have been published.
