BetMGM vs Fanatics is the rare sportsbook matchup where the usual tiebreaker doesn’t break the tie. Both brands report 23 states plus D.C. for sportsbook. Both run their online casino in exactly the same four states. If footprint were the whole story, this would be a coin flip. It isn’t, because the two companies behind those identical numbers could hardly be more different.
Two Owners, Two Origin Stories
BetMGM has been a 50/50 joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Entain since 2018 — a Las Vegas casino operator paired with a London-listed gambling group, headquartered in Jersey City. MGM has floated buying out Entain’s half more than once, and as of September 2026 that still hadn’t happened. Fanatics Sportsbook has a shorter, stranger path: Fanatics Betting and Gaming tested an app in Tennessee and Ohio in October 2023, then closed a $225 million acquisition of PointsBet’s US sportsbook business in April 2024 and inherited PointsBet’s state licenses wholesale. One brand is two gambling companies sharing a license structure. The other is a merchandise company that bought its way into one.
BetMGM vs Fanatics, side by side
| BetMGM | Fanatics | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | 50/50 JV: MGM Resorts + Entain | Division of Fanatics Inc. (private) |
| License origin | Built as MGM/Entain venture since 2018 | Acquired via 2024 PointsBet purchase |
| Sportsbook footprint | 23 states + D.C. (Sep 2026) | 23 states + D.C. (Aug 2026) |
| Casino states | MI, NJ, PA, WV | MI, NJ, PA, WV |
| States only that brand has | Mississippi, Nevada | Connecticut, North Carolina, Vermont |
| Rewards tie-in | Bonus bets, refunds a losing first bet | FanCash, redeemable for bets or merch |
The Map Is a Tie, the States Aren’t Identical
“23 states plus D.C.” twice over sounds like the same list, and it isn’t. BetMGM covers Mississippi and Nevada, where Fanatics has no sportsbook. Fanatics covers Connecticut, North Carolina, and Vermont, where BetMGM hasn’t launched. A reader in one of those five states has already had this comparison decided for them — check the specific state page before assuming the tied headline number applies to where you live.
Casino really is identical, not just close. Both BetMGM Casino and Fanatics Casino operate in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia only — the same four states, no more, no less, for either brand. Neither has added Connecticut despite both sportsbooks operating there in Fanatics’ case.
FanCash and Merchandise vs a Straightforward Bonus-Bet Refund
BetMGM’s sportsbook offer is a first-bet safety net: lose the opening wager and get it back as bonus bets, capped around $1,500, gone in seven days if unused. Fanatics matches wagers as FanCash over the first 10 days, up to $1,000, and FanCash can be spent on Fanatics merchandise as well as bonus bets — a crossover that only makes sense because Fanatics is, underneath the sportsbook, a retail company. Neither structure is free money; both require betting activity to unlock, and both come with terms that shift by state.
Who It Fits
Live somewhere only one of these two is licensed — Mississippi, Nevada, Connecticut, North Carolina, Vermont — and the state map already answered this for you. Live where both are live? Pick BetMGM if a recognizable Las Vegas casino operator’s name and a straightforward bonus-bet structure matter more to you than novelty; pick Fanatics if the FanCash-to-merchandise crossover fits how you already shop and an acquired-but-real license doesn’t bother you. Betting is entertainment on either app, not a plan for income. If it stops feeling that way, 1-800-GAMBLER.