Machibet CasinoFanatics Sportsbook Strikes Deal with MLBPA

New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver pitches as we look at Fanatics deal with the MLBPA. — New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver pitches during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians. Photo by: Brad Penner-Imagn Images.

One of our best sports betting sites has struck a major deal with a "major league."

Fanatics Sportsbook has inked a non-exclusive naming rights deal with the Major League Baseball Players Association, making it the first sportsbook to sign on with the union. The details of the deal with OneTeam, which aides with the union in commercialization, were not immediately known.

The deal makes Fanatics the first officially licensed sportsbook of MLB Players, Inc.

Lawsuits

The news, which came through the , comes amid the MLBPA suing numerous sports betting providers, including several of our best sports betting apps.

The lawsuits concern the use of the names and likenesses of hundreds of players on DraftKings, bet365 (Philadelphia federal court), FanDuel, and Underdog Fantasy (New York state court).

It claims the defendants' use of player images within the sportsbooks' platforms is not merely informational, and is instead promotional.

“For professional athletes, the ability to control the commercial use of their names, images, and likenesses is a crucial return on their substantial career investment,” the MLBPA added at the time of the lawsuits.

The deal with Fanatics should help the sportsbook avoid the same fate as the others. But because it's a non-exclusive agreement, other entities might follow suit and sign on with the union.

A busy year for Fanatics

It's been just weeks since Fanatics launched in the DC sports betting scene and began offering Fanatics promo codes in the nation's capital.

But that's hardly all the sportsbook has been doing since taking over PointsBet's assets in the United States in a deal finalized last October.

That gave the growing site access to the Michigan sports betting, Indiana sports betting, New York sports betting, Kansas sports betting, Arizona sports betting, Illinois sports betting, and New Jersey sports betting markets.

The New Jersey launch completed the takeover. But that wasn't the end for Fanatics, which went live in Louisiana during August.

Fanatics also launched an expanded merchandising deal with the Baltimore Ravens in June. That deal gave Fanatics access to retail sales in M&T Bank Stadium and allowed the company to ;“curate collections unique to the Ravens that celebrate both the culture of Baltimore and the fan base’s passion for the team.”

Written By:
Andrew Reid

Andrew is a Publishing Editor at Sportsbook Review. He graduated from Acadia University with a degree in Kinesiology, working as a personal trainer and in injury rehab, and then attended the College of Sports Media in Toronto to attain a diploma in Radio and Television Sports Broadcasting. Andrew has been involved in the sports betting and fantasy sports space since joining the FNTSY Sports Network in 2014, where he worked as a producer, director, and occasional on-air talent on various shows focusing on sports betting and DFS content. Prior to joining SBR, he spent multiple years with the USA Today Network as an editor and writer. Living in Newfoundland, Andrew frequents grey market sportsbooks, but in the past, when he's lived in regulated areas, he's become well-versed with all of our best sportsbooks. As strictly a casual bettor, he enjoys making touchdown parlays with friends (bro-lays), sweating out golf cut parlays during majors, playing same-game parlays for fun, and chasing long-shot bets. He also enjoys using sportsbooks that have solid iGaming and casino platforms. As the old guy on staff, he has an affinity for industry news, which confuses some, but shh ... quiet ... the news is on.