Fanatics Sportsbook Review

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Fanatics Sportsbook Hands-on Review

Just when sportsbooks were starting to feel the pressure of competition, Fanatics has launched what could be the biggest push from a new sportsbook since sports betting became legal in 2019.

Fanatics Sportsbook is the betting arm of the Fanatics company that is known for its team and player swag. The merchandise retailer purchased PointsBet Sportsbook for $225 million in July 2023, taking over their online presence in what could be up to 15 states at varying schedules of branding changes.

Fanatics has also bought in to sports card manufacturing with its acquisition of Topps in 2022.

As of Aug. 2023, Fanatics is live in four states — Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Tennessee — with more planned in the future.

Illinois and New Jersey have been rumored to have received or will be receiving an application for a license from Fanatics.

Despite the app for their sportsbook being in Beta testing in states where they’re not yet activated, Fanatics can be downloaded in all but five states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia.

Is Fanatics Sportsbook Legit?

Yes, Fanatics Sportsbook is legit. Its initial process is on par with current sportsbook operators. That means you can download, sign up, add funds, and wager with confidence.

Can You Win Real Money Playing at Fanatics Sportsbook?

You can win real money betting at Fanatics. In order to place wagers on their platform, users have to place funds into their Fanatics Sportsbook account. Fanatics offers multiple secure ways to add money to a player’s account.

Fanatics Sportsbook Signup Bonus

As of Aug. 16, 2023, there is no signup bonus, but there are other ways to receive perks from Fanatics.

Fanatics Sportsbook Bet & Get

Bet and get offers are promotions where you bet a certain amount of money and receive a bonus for doing so. This is where you can get the most for signing up for Fanatics Sportsbook right now.

New users can Bet $5 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets. There are no deposit necessities or restrictions to this offer.

Bonus bets will be credited within 72 hours of your qualifying wager placement and expire 7 days after issuance. Bets come in $10 increments.

Fanatics Sportsbook No Sweat First Bet

Fanatics does not have any offers for No Sweat First Bets at this time.

Keep an eye out for it, though. The No Sweat First Bet is exactly what it sounds like: You sign up for the sportsbook, make your deposit and place your first bet. If it loses you’ll receive money — usually paid in bonus bets or site credit — equal to your stake, up to a maximum amount.

Fanatics Sportsbook No-Deposit Bonus

Fanatics does not yet offer this promotion. No-Deposit bonuses are more common for online casinos, but sportsbooks can extend these specials to customers here and there.

This will be an offer to watch with Fanatics if they are trying to add new users in a different capacity than other sportsbooks with new user offers.

Fanatics Sportsbook Deposit Bonus

Deposit bonuses are just as they sound: Add a certain amount of funds and receive the same in bet credits or bonus bets. Sportsbooks have run this type of bonus with match amounts of up to $1,000.

Fanatics has not released a deposit bonus offer at this time.

Fanatics Sportsbook Pre-Launch Offer

A majority of sportsbooks will have a pre-launch offer. New states will have a promotional period to sign up for what is usually a monetary bonus leading up to their launch date.

With only four states housing Fanatics Sportsbook at this time, any state with legal betting, or soon-to-be legal betting options, should monitor Fanatics for pre-launch offers.

Fanatics Sportsbook FanCash Promotion

The most prominent bonus for this app is Fanatics Sportsbook’s FanCash rewards. Users of the sportsbook can earn FanCash — which can be used on merchandise and any other Fanatics products — by placing specific wagers:

• Earn 5% FanCash on Single Game Parlays (SGPs)
• Earn 3% FanCash on Fanatics Parlay Bets
• Earn 1% FanCash on Straight Bets (Moneyline, Spread, etc.)

FanCash is earned no matter the outcome of your wager. Fanatics wants users to be able to take their FanCash and explore everything they have to offer.

There are a few instances where you will not earn FanCash. When placing a Futures bet, you will only receive FanCash when the wager is complete, so no FanCash on a wager placed in April that has an expected end date of October.

The same applies to pre-match betting (straight bets, parlays, SGPs). Your FanCash will show up in your account once the wager is complete.

Other Fanatics Sportsbook Promotions

Odds Boosts

Sportsbooks will offer line adjustments to engage users with bets that may not have the best odds but, with a boost, become more attractive.

Fanatics initially offers 1% FanCash for every odds boost wager. For example, if you place $10 on an odds-boost wager, you will receive $1 in FanCash.

Parlay Insurance

Another way to incentivize bettors is with parlay insurance. If your Fanatics parlay bet loses, or loses a certain amount of legs included, you get your wager back as a bonus bet.

This is one way to test your luck with adding one or two more legs to a parlay than normal, with less risk. This is a wager that could be on Fanatics Sportsbook.

Does Fanatics Sportsbook Have the Best Odds?

Fanatics Sportsbook has partnered with Amelco for software and odds. Amelco was most famously attached to FOX Bet before Fox Sports decided to shut down their betting platform.

Fanatics Sportsbook Pricing

When taking a look at Fanatics’ standard betting odds and lines, you see the adjustment for run lines and run totals based on the matchup (-110/+100 for closer matchups on both sides of spreads and totals, or -200/+150 for bigger favorites and underdogs as an example) and some better lines on moneyline bets.

Fanatics appears to remain in lock-step with the majority of books when it comes to setting lines, with instances of getting better odds (ranging from 5-15 cents when looking at MLB lines).

For moneyline bets, Fanatics appears to be set on being slightly different - for good and bad. This may seem like a moot point when thinking about your betting options, but this means that shopping at other books will be in play if you add Fanatics to your sportsbook rotation.

The stellar pricing doesn’t stop once the game starts. In-game odds are typically not as player friendly as pregame betting, but Fanatics does minimize the damage by sticking to 25-30 cent lines where other sportsbooks can go as high as 60 cent lines for ingame bets.

As far as prop betting prices, each book has their tendencies and Fanatics Sportsbook is no different. Nothing egregious, but nothing eye-popping at launch.

All of this will vary by sport, but Fanatics is much in line with other books on MLB as they launch. Time will tell if they vary their lines, and we’ll dutifully update our operator review when we accrue a larger sample size of play time.

In What States is Fanatics Sportsbook Available?

Fanatics is in its infantile stage, but has locked down four states, including one of the bigger non-coastal markets. The list of states with Fanatics Sportsbook is expected to grow as the company continues their push into sports betting.

Fanatics Maryland

• License Partner: Maryland Stadium Sub, LLC
• Retail Sportsbooks: Fanatics Sportsbook at FedEx Field
• Online Launch: August 2023

Fanatics with Maryland Stadium Sub, LLC, which is essentially the Washington Commanders Football Club. The sportsbook was the first ever to open inside an NFL stadium.

Fanatics also has a jersey partnership with the University of Maryland. Their stronghold in the clothing and memorabilia industry has opened doors a lot quicker than other sportsbooks as partnerships and retail location options dwindle.

Fanatics Massachusetts

• License Partner: Plainridge Park Casino
• Retail Sportsbooks: Fanatics Sportsbook at Plainridge Park Casino
• Online Launch: August 2023

Massachusetts is another state that offers an in-person venue for sports betting with Fanatics. Fanatics is replacing Barstool Sportsbook at Plainridge Park Casino.

Fanatics Ohio

• License Partner: Columbus Blue Jackets
• Retail Sportsbooks: Fanatics Sportsbook at Nationwide Arena
• Online Launch: August 2023

Fanatics has big plans for Ohio. Not only are the Blue Jackets home to a retail sportsbook, but Fanatics is also a retail partner with the Cleveland Guardians. The sportsbook at Progressive Field is expected to be open August 2023.

Fanatics Tennessee

• License Partner: Tennessee Sports Wagering Advisory Council
• Retail Sportsbooks: None
• Online Launch: August 2023

Despite not having a retail partnership yet, but Fanatics made the Volunteer State an immediate target for their online sportsbook.

After acquiring PointsBet, it would not be surprising to see Fanatics lead the push for retail locations in Tennessee. The state introduced the first online-only market, so a push for retail may not be easy.

My Fanatics Sportsbook App Experience

I’ve added some Fanatics Sportsbook screengrabs to show how mobile users can navigate through its different stages and options:

Fanatics Sportsbook has an easy-on-the-eyes interface that is set in what most would call ‘Dark Mode.’ The betting options are easy enough to click on and populate your bet(s).

When you click on the wager you’d like to complete, Fanatics gives you the option to make a quick bet, with the lowest amount set at $10. There is also an option to edit the bet and set your own wager amount.

This is a good and bad thing because some people have a set wager amount of $10, $25, etc., but for new bettors and potentially new users of their app, this could be a tedious task to edit every bet, especially if the line ends up moving while editing.

The nice thing is when you click on an event to bet there are even more options — some traditional and some non-traditional. Look for the SGP (Same Game Parlay bet) on any contest’s interface. The feature can allow for parlaying many spreads, props, and so much more. They are also easily laid out to avoid confusion.

The search option is the easiest way to get to the long list of sports to bet on, as the home screen is populated with contests about to start, promos, odds boosts, and so on.

Should You Bet at Fanatics Sportsbook?

There is a lot to like considering Fanatics is new to the sports betting party. They learned immediately that an easy interface is the best way to ease new users’ fears of sports betting. Confusing or causing frustration with an app is a great way to lose business.

I do not prefer the bet slip’s penchant for automatically giving you suggested dollar options, which leads to the consistent need to edit your bet amount. Therefore, this might become a user-experience issue for frequent live bettors.

The Bet $5, Get $200 welcome promo is better than what DraftKings and FanDuel tend to offer. It will be interesting to see how Fanatics handles user acquisition via promos once they have a foothold in double-digit states and have been live for six-plus months.

The app is worth your attention. Take time to navigate through sports you like to bet on, or would consider betting on, to see if the experience fits your needs.

How To Join Fanatics Sportsbook

Joining Fanatics is easy. Just follow these steps:

1. While on The Game Day, click the “Get Bonus" or “Claim Now" button to activate the welcome bonus and be automatically taken to Fanatics Sportsbook.
2. Click the “Register Now” button, you will be asked to fill out all relevant information you would need at any other sportsbook, such as email, name, address, last four digits of SSN, DOB, etc).
3. Make a deposit and take advantage of any/all promos.

Payment Methods Available

Fanatics Sportsbook has plenty of options available when it comes to your deposit and withdrawal needs.

Deposit Methods

• Online Banking: Link your bank account by logging into your banks online banking service.
• PayPal: Use the world’s most popular e-wallet to fund your account.
• Cash At Counter: Available only at physical, retail locations including the Meadowlands in New Jersey, for example.
• Debit Card: Use your debit card same as you would at any other online shopping experience.
• Bank Wire Transfer
• Cash at Retail Casino: In states where Fanatics is partnered with a retail casino, you can make cash deposits at the casino cage.

Withdrawal Methods

• PayPal
• Cash At Counter
• Online Banking
• Check (7-10 business days)

Leagues You Can Bet On

There are a number of sports one can bet on, including all major sports due to Fanatics’ retail agreements.

• Aussie Rules
• Badminton
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Cricket
• Cycling
• Darts
• Football
• Formula 1
• Golf
• Hockey
• MMA
• Nascar
• Rugby League
• Rugby Union
• Soccer
• Table Tennis
• Tennis

Bet Types

Bettors of all experience levels can find Fanatics Sportsbook props and parlays for markets they grown to love:

• Spreads
• Moneylines
• Over/Under Totals
• First Half
• Second Half
• Quarters/Periods
• Futures
• Parlays
• Props

Rewards System

The FanCash program with Fanatics has a chance to challenge the rewards system used by multiple competing sportsbooks for popularity and widespread appeal for a new customer base.

Customer Service

Fanatics Sportsbook gives bettors a trio of options:

• Live Chat: Available 24/7 and is typically the quickest way to resolve any issues.
• Email: You will typically get a response within 24 hours.
• Phone: It exists, but it is not the most effective.

Does Fanatics Sportsbook Have an Online Casino?

Not as of August 2023. With the Beta rollouts and states where PointsBet held locations, we’ll be keeping an eye on whether an online casino is on the short list for Fanatics.