Fanatics Holdings Inc., a sizable sports apparel and collectibles business, has made a strategic move to enhance its push into sports betting by hiring additional lawyers to fortify its team. The company recently hired Eva Pulliam, a data privacy and regulatory affairs partner at ArentFox Schiff, and Briana Reid, a former lawyer for the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Pulliam has now joined the Fanatics Betting and Gaming division, the company’s subsidiary, as Vice President of legal product and marketing. Having spent around 15 years at her former firm, Pulliam’s experience will be pivotal to the betting and gaming arm of Fanatics. Reid on the other hand, has taken up the role of state compliance analyst. This strategic hiring furthers the ever-growing expansion of the sports gambling business across the US, where businesses such as Fanatics, FanDuel Inc., and DraftKings Inc. are strenuously competing for market share in the wake of the 2018 US Supreme Court decision that lifted restrictions on sports betting.
Over the years, Pulliam has established herself as a prominent regulatory expert, especially during her notable ascension to partner in 2022. In her new role at Fanatics, Pulliam collaborates with product, regulatory, and marketing teams, focusing on areas such as marketing, privacy, and legal issues pertaining to mobile applications like the Fanatics Sportsbook. Her reporting line falls under Jane Pollack, a former Uber Technologies Inc. lawyer who joined Fanatics’ betting business last year as senior vice president of legal.
Reid, taking on a different role, supports Fanatics outside of the legal group as a valuable member of its regulatory team. Her reporting line circles back to Michael Levine, who joined Fanatics last year from the online gambling platform, PokerStars Inc.
Fanatics’ valuation stood at a staggering $31 billion a year ago, following a $700 million fundraising round. The company, under the leadership of reputable sports executive Michael Rubin, maintains offices around the globe. Cognizant of their exponential growth, the company has been actively hiring seasoned sports industry executives in anticipation of a potential initial public offering.
Intense competition characterizes the landscape of the sports betting business, which has inevitably led to legal disputes. DraftKings recently filed a lawsuit, aiming to prevent Fanatics from hiring its former vice president of VIP management, Michael Hermalyn. Fanatics’ collectibles division has also faced legal objections from adversaries. The Italian trading card competitor, Panini SpA, launched an antitrust dispute that escalated last year with Fanatics, which is a testament to the intense competition within this sector.