Exclusive: Momentum and Fanatics launch UAE gaming joint venture

Momentum Group, the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) first gaming licensee, has established a joint venture with Fanatics to operate and grow commercial gaming activities in the market.

While terms of the joint venture are not yet publicly available, all Momentum’s existing commercial gaming licences and operations will form part of the joint venture. The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) has already approved the change in control for these licensed entities, comprising the UAE Lottery and commercial gaming site Play971.

Fanatics brings its product, technology and experience of scaling quickly in the US to the partnership. Momentum and Fanatics will now jointly invest in technology, product and customer experience, as well as develop new responsible gaming and player protection safeguards.

“The UAE has built one of the world’s most carefully regulated commercial gaming markets, and this joint venture is a reflection of the confidence that brings,” Momentum group chief operating officer Scott Burton said.

“Combining Momentum’s regional experience with Fanatics’ global product capability creates a partnership well placed to grow alongside this market for the long term.”

New phase for UAE gaming

Since winning the tender to operate the UAE Lottery in July 2024, Momentum Group has emerged as a serious player in the nascent UAE gaming market. The lottery, operated by its subsidiary The Game LLC, launched in December of that year.

It achieved another milestone launch in November 2025, when Play971 became the first fully licensed iGaming business to launch in the UAE . Initially offering only iGaming, it rolled out sports and race betting in June this year.

Play971 is one of the sites to be powered by the Momentum Fanatics joint venture

At the time of the sports betting launch Momentum commercial director for iGaming Philippa Bowland told iGB that, while the site was early in its journey, the response from players gave the business “confidence in both the opportunity ahead and the role Play971 can play in shaping this new category”.

The joint venture with Fanatics marks “the natural next step” in Momentum’s journey to growing the gaming ecosystem in the UAE, Burton told iGamingBusiness.

“The UAE’s regulated commercial gaming sector is maturing, and partnering with a global operator of Fanatics’ standing lets us bring world-class product and technology to UAE players as the market goes from strength to strength,” he explained.

“Our ambition has always been to support a robust and well-regulated ecosystem, to introduce regional firsts and to build something with genuine global relevance. Fanatics helps us to accelerate our shared ambitions to innovate and entertain.”

Fanatics UAE gaming joint venture ‘the natural choice’ for first international move

The joint venture also marks Fanatics’ first foray outside its core US market.

“We have always said we would only expand internationally when we found the right market and the right partner,” Fanatics president of gaming Conor Grant said. “The UAE offers both a newly regulated market with a long-term vision for commercial gaming, and Momentum, a trusted local operator with deep market knowledge and a shared commitment to building responsibly.

“That combination made it the natural choice for Fanatics’ first international gaming expansion.”

The combination is not simply a partnership with one Fanatics subsidiary; instead it brings to bear the entire sports ecosystem under the Fanatics umbrella.

Conor Grant: The Momentum-Fanatics joint venture Aims to create an ecosystem for player engagement

Grant added that the ultimate ambition is to create experiences that enhance fan engagement rather than treating wagering as a standalone product.

“We have proven in the United States that we can build a gaming platform that is fast, secure and rewarding, and we will bring that same technology, product discipline and customer-first approach to the UAE,” he explained.

Wi