TLDR
- Fanatics Betting and Gaming is partnering with Complex to launch a new content platform called Complex Bets
- The platform will focus on pop culture, prediction markets, and sports betting content aimed at younger audiences
- New programming includes a weekly YouTube show with celebrity guests and a social media series covering live sporting events
- Fanatics online casino products are excluded from the deal due to limited state availability
- Fanatics recently gained regulatory approval to handle customer funds directly on its prediction market platform
Fanatics Betting and Gaming has teamed up with entertainment company Complex to create a new digital content platform called Complex Bets. The platform will operate separately from Complex’s regular news coverage.
Complex Bets will focus on content that blends pop culture, prediction markets, and sports betting. The goal is to reach younger fans who consume sports content differently than older generations.
Fanatics Sportsbook and Fanatics Markets will provide all betting odds and market data for the platform. The two companies plan to release original programming built for internet audiences.
One of the first shows will be a weekly long-form series on YouTube. Each episode will feature celebrity guests and cover trending topics in sports and gaming.
The partnership will also produce a social media series called Complex On The Scene. The show will send creators to cover major sporting events in person, including the FIFA World Cup and the upcoming NBA Playoffs.
A Shift From Stats to Culture
Before this digital deal, Fanatics and Complex had already worked together on physical merchandise. The two brands previously released exclusive fashion drops featuring Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association apparel.
Now, both companies want to change how fans engage with betting content online. Fanatics says traditional betting content leans too heavily on statistics, injury reports, and mathematical strategies.
The new platform will instead focus on cultural storytelling and community engagement. Rather than centering everything around final scores, Complex Bets aims to highlight the broader conversations sports fans are already having.
The companies want sports betting to feel less like a financial transaction. They are positioning it more as a lifestyle brand that fits naturally into how younger audiences already talk about sports.
Casino Products Left Out, Prediction Markets Expanding
Fanatics made a deliberate choice to leave its online casino product out of the Complex Bets deal. Fanatics Sportsbook and Fanatics Markets currently operate in more than 25 US states.
However, the company’s digital casino games are only available in four states. Those states are Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Only seven states in the country currently have laws allowing online casinos. Maine is expected to open its own market later this year. Because the casino footprint is so limited, both companies decided to focus the new platform on betting products with a wider national reach.
The content deal comes as Fanatics pushes deeper into the prediction market space. The National Futures Association recently approved Fanatics to operate as a futures commission merchant and a formal swap firm.
This regulatory approval allows Fanatics Markets to handle customer funds directly when users trade event contracts. Previously, the company relied on a third party to manage all player funds and financial accounts.
Fanatics first entered the prediction market space in December 2025 when it acquired Paragon Global Markets. That acquisition made Fanatics the first traditional sports betting operator to launch a standalone prediction market product for American customers.
