Fanatics Enters the UAE: What the Momentum Deal Means for the Lottery and Play971

Last updated: 24 July 2026

On 29 June 2026, Momentum Group and Fanatics announced a strategic joint venture that hands the US sports giant a central role in the UAE's regulated gaming market. Everything Momentum currently runs under its federal licences — The UAE Lottery, the Play971 casino and sportsbook, and the group's content websites — moves into the new venture, with the federal regulator's approval already in place. It is Fanatics' first gaming operation outside the United States, and the clearest sign yet that the UAE market is attracting serious international operators.

Key takeaways

• Momentum Group and Fanatics announced a strategic joint venture on 29 June 2026 covering all of Momentum's UAE commercial gaming activities: lottery, iGaming, sportsbook and content websites.
• The GCGRA, the UAE's sole gaming regulator, has already approved the change in control of Momentum's licensed entities.
• It is Fanatics' first gaming expansion outside the US, confirmed by Fanatics Gaming president Conor Grant.
• The financial terms and equity split have not been made public.
• Nothing changes for players today; possible platform upgrades and FanCash loyalty tie-ins have been hinted at by Fanatics but not confirmed.

What was announced

The announcement came in a joint press release dated 29 June 2026, issued from Abu Dhabi. In it, Momentum Group — the UAE-based company behind The UAE Lottery and Play971 — said all of its existing UAE commercial gaming licences and operations will form part of a new joint venture with Fanatics. The stated scope is broad: lottery, iGaming, sportsbook and content websites, operated with a focus on customer experience, technology and long-term growth.

One detail matters more than the rest. The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), the federal body that licenses all commercial gaming in the UAE, has already approved the change in control of Momentum's licensed entities. In other words, the regulatory hurdle that usually slows deals like this has already been cleared; the venture starts on solid legal footing rather than waiting on approval.

The financial terms, including the ownership split, have not been disclosed. Neither company has said who holds the majority stake.

Who Fanatics is, and why this market

Fanatics is one of the biggest names in American sport: a digital sports platform spanning merchandise, trading cards, collectibles, live events and, through Fanatics Gaming, licensed sportsbook and online casino products in multiple US states. The company claims partnerships with more than 900 sports properties and a reach of over 100 million fans worldwide. What it has never had, until now, is a gaming operation outside the US.

Conor Grant, president of Fanatics Gaming, told iGamingBusiness on 29 June that the company had "always said we would only expand internationally when we found the right market and the right partner", calling the UAE and Momentum "the natural choice for Fanatics' first international gaming expansion". The move fits a regional pattern: earlier in June, Fanatics announced a new Qatar office as its Middle East hub, as reported by NEXT.io.

For Momentum, the logic runs the other way. The group won the tender to operate The UAE Lottery in July 2024, launched it that December through its subsidiary The Game LLC, and followed with Play971 in November 2025 — the UAE's first licensed iGaming platform, which added sports and race betting in June 2026 ahead of the FIFA World Cup. We have tracked that build-out in our pieces on The Game LLC's lottery licence and Play971's run as the UAE's only licensed online gaming operator. Partnering with a global operator, Momentum's chief operating officer Scott Burton said, "lets us bring world-class product and technology to UAE players as the market goes from strength to strength".

What could change for players

The honest short answer: nothing yet. The press release sets out intentions — joint investment in technology, product and customer experience, plus new responsible gaming and player protection safeguards — but no product changes, migrations or rebrands have been announced. Accounts, games, payment methods and the rules covered in our guides to Play971's rules and UAE Lottery rules remain as they were.

Looking ahead, three plausible changes are worth watching, none of them confirmed:

• Platform and product. Fanatics' clearest contribution is its technology stack and its experience of scaling betting products quickly in regulated US states. A rebuilt app or website for Play971, or a faster rollout of new lottery games, would be the natural first fruits, but no timeline exists.
• FanCash and loyalty tie-ins. Grant told iGB he sees "significant opportunity to create unique connections between gaming, FanCash, collectibles and merchandise that none of [its] competitors can match" — a hint that Fanatics' US loyalty currency could eventually reach UAE players. He declined to discuss specific launches, so treat this as an aspiration, not a roadmap.
• Responsible gaming tools. The release commits the venture to developing new player-protection safeguards. Momentum's existing products already offer deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, with identity checks enforcing the age rules — 18 for the lottery, 21 for iGaming and sports betting — as detailed in our responsible gaming rules explainer.

What this says about the UAE market

The deal is a vote of confidence in the GCGRA's framework: a single federal regulator, technical standards modelled on established jurisdictions and a deliberately slow licensing cadence, designed to attract exactly this kind of entrant. Burton made the point directly, calling the UAE "one of the world's most carefully regulated commercial gaming markets" and the joint venture "a reflection of the confidence that brings".

The timing is notable too. The regulator's new chief executive, Ciarán Carruthers, only started on 9 June 2026, and the market's first land-based casino, Wynn Al Marjan Island, is still under construction in Ras Al Khaimah. Approving a change in control for its flagship online licensees weeks into a new CEO's tenure suggests continuity, not upheaval, at the regulator.

For now, Momentum's cluster of companies — The Game LLC, Coin Technology Projects LLC — keeps its position as the only licensed operator of online gaming and sports wagering in the country, a status reflected in our UAE gaming licence tracker. What changes is who sits alongside them: a US heavyweight with the budget and product depth to build quickly.

What is not yet known

Four open questions. First, the money: no stake split, valuation or investment figure has been published. Second, the product plan: whether Play971 or the lottery migrates to Fanatics-built technology, and when. Third, FanCash: Grant's comments stop well short of confirming a UAE loyalty programme. Fourth, TrueWin, the group's second online brand covered in our TrueWin explainer: it was not named in the announcement, though the release's wording — all existing licences and operations — suggests it falls within the venture. Until the companies say more, all four remain unanswered.

FAQ

What did Fanatics and Momentum announce? A strategic joint venture, announced 29 June 2026, covering all of Momentum's UAE commercial gaming activities: The UAE Lottery, the Play971 iGaming and sportsbook platform, and the group's content websites.

Is the deal approved by the UAE regulator? Yes. The GCGRA, the federal authority that licenses all commercial gaming in the UAE, approved the change in control of Momentum's licensed entities before the announcement.

Is this Fanatics' first move outside the US? Yes for gaming. Fanatics Gaming president Conor Grant confirmed it is the company's first international gaming expansion. Fanatics also announced a Qatar regional office earlier in June 2026.

Will Play971 or the UAE Lottery change for players? Nothing has been announced. The venture plans joint investment in technology, product and player protection, but no platform migrations, rebrands or new products have been confirmed.

Will FanCash come to the UAE? Unconfirmed. Grant told iGB there is significant opportunity to connect gaming with FanCash, collectibles and merchandise, but declined to discuss specific launches.

Who owns the joint venture? Not disclosed. Neither the equity split nor any financial terms have been made public.

Further reading

• The Game LLC and the UAE Lottery licence
• Play971: the UAE's only licensed online gaming operator, April 2026
• Play971 rules explained
• UAE Lottery rules explained
• TrueWin explained: the UAE's second licensed online gaming platform
• Responsible gaming rules in the UAE
• UAE gaming licence tracker 2026

Sources

• Fanatics / GlobeNewswire, "Momentum and Fanatics Join Forces to Build a New Powerhouse in Regional Regulated Commercial Gaming" (29 June 2026): https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/06/29/3319030/0/en/momentum-and-fanatics-join-forces-to-build-a-new-powerhouse-in-regional-regulated-commercial-gaming.html
• Fanatics investor relations, same release: https://investor.fanatics.com/news/news-details/2026/Momentum-and-Fanatics-Join-Forces-to-Build-a-New-Powerhouse-in-Regional-Regulated-Commercial-Gaming-2026-dNu70ThRmc/default.aspx
• iGamingBusiness, "Exclusive: Momentum and Fanatics launch UAE gaming joint venture" (29 June 2026): https://igamingbusiness.com/strategy/fanatics-uae-gaming-joint-venture-momentum/
• NEXT.io, "Fanatics enters UAE in joint venture with Momentum Group" (29 June 2026): https://next.io/news/regulation/fanatics-enters-uae-in-joint-venture-with-momentum-group/
• SiGMA, "Fanatics makes UAE entry with Momentum Group deal" (30 June 2026): https://sigma.world/news/fanatics-uae-momentum-group-deal/
• GCGRA, official site: https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/