Fanatics Sportsbook Online Betting

Fanatics Sportsbook Decides Against Controversial Promo

By Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 29 May 2023

Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief

Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.

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In the run-up to its launch in Massachusetts, Fanatics Sportsbook had been planning a controversial promotion. However, it has since been reported that the operator has decided against its merchandise-for-bets promotion, which many believe could be frustrating for company officials because of the operator’s large merchandise customer base.

As a premier merch provider for professional and college sports, Fanatics is the only sportsbook in the state that also offers access to a wide range of merchandise. It recently launched a similar scheme in Ohio whereby customers could get bonus bets based on the amount spent on merchandise. However, this was met with some controversy.

The promotion in Ohio was shut down by the Ohio Casino Control Commission, which is said to have come as a blow to Fanatics, which was hoping to boost its share of the sports betting market in Ohio. The idea was to convert many merch customers to sports betting ones through the promo.

Avoiding Issues in MA

According to some officials, one of the key reasons the operator decided not to run the promotion in Massachusetts was to avoid the same sort of controversy they faced in Ohio.

A report by J.R. Duren in PlayUSA read:

Fanatics’ choice to skip offering a merchandise-for-bonus promo in Massachusetts is likely due to two factors. The company did not want a PR debacle during its launch, as grabbing market share in any state with legal sports betting is hard enough on its own.

The report also went on to suggest that Fanatics might have been forewarned by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission that the promo would not be allowed. This could be another reason why the operator has had a change of heart with regard to the promotion, which could otherwise have given it an edge over competitors in the state.

Fanatics Still Likely to Use Other Promotions

Even though Fanatics has decided not to go with the merchandise for bets, it is likely to launch a range of other promotions instead. These, however, are more likely to be standard promotions that are run by many sportsbook operators.

Among the promos that could be run by the sportsbook is a welcome bonus whereby new members who deposit receive bonus money. This would be worth a specific percentage of the customer’s first deposit. This can then help the operator to bring more new customers on board.

Another type of promotion that might be offered is what is known as a ‘no sweat bet’. This is where the sportsbook offers a bonus bet equal to what the customer loses if their first bet is not a winning one. However, it is important for bettors to read the small print with regard to all betting promotions as there may be certain restrictions or stipulations.

For many sportsbooks, running the right promotions during and before launching in major markets can help to make a big positive difference to sign-ups and customer numbers. While Fanatics will no longer be running its merch promo, its alternative promotions could help to boost its success when it comes to the Massachusetts launch.