Fanatics hires Jason White as first-ever Chief Marketing Officer for its iGaming division

Sports merchandise and licensing giant Fanatics announced Monday that it has hired former Beats by Dre and MTV marketing executive Jason White as the first chief marketing officer for Fanatics Betting & Gaming, the company’s online sports betting and iGaming division.

White will be leading the division’s marketing, advertising, and content verticals. In a press release, the company confirmed it is “preparing its formal entrance into the betting industry.”

White joins with a deep résumé of marketing and advertising experience across sports and culture, with over 20 years of experience. He helped lead the Nike business at ad agency Wieden+Kennedy before becoming managing director of the agency’s Shanghai office.

From there he was at Beats by Dre for almost five years, helping to create award-winning campaigns like 2015’s “Straight Outta” work. Between then and joining MTV early last year, White was chief marketing officer at cannabis company Curaleaf.

Fanatics described White’s experience in both emerging categories and bridging brands and culture as a “perfect match” for its ambitions in North America’s nascent sports betting market. 

“I believe legal sports betting is the next cultural touchpoint that is ripe for transformation,” said White. “Fanatics’ vision for the future of sports fandom is incredibly special, and under Matt King’s leadership, I believe Fanatics Betting & Gaming is the next great disruptor.”

Matt King, CEO of Fanatics Betting & Gaming

“Jason has a proven track record of helping to build globally recognized brands who are disruptors in their categories,” said Matt King, CEO of Fanatics Betting & Gaming. “As this competitive space continues to evolve, Jason will be invaluable to our long-term strategy of creating a dynamic and innovative product offering for all sports fans.”

That long-term strategy appears to be accelerating. Last year, Fanatics hired King, the former CEO of FanDuel, to run its betting and gaming division, which it has gradually been building with the intention to launch when deemed right.

According to Fast Company, Tucker Kain, Fanatics’ chief strategy and growth officer (who joined from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021), said that “the Fanatics model is to build and be ready at the right moment.”

Tucker Kain, Fanatics' chief strategy and growth officer

“If an opportunity hits all three criteria, we need to be ready to move,” Kain said. “That’s a healthy tension. Our job is to be aware of the opportunities and start building up for them over time, and then when the opportunity coalesces, our pace needs to accelerate. That’s the balance in being thoughtful and strategic in our thinking, and then really nimble and fast in how we execute.”

There are currently more than 80 job openings listed on the Fanatics careers page, and in a recent interview with Colin Cowherd on The Volume podcast, company founder Michael Rubin said he expects to be taking bets by the end of this year.