Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG), the online and retail sports betting arm of Fanatics, has announced two appointments to its executive legal team – with Alex Smith stepping in as Chief Legal Officer and Sara Tait becoming the new Senior Vice President (SVP) of Legal.
Primarily, Smith’s appointment marks the first C-level position of his career and will see him oversee all legal, regulatory and compliance operations and strategy at FBG, reporting directly to CEO Matt King.
Having previously worked as a Senior Director of the FanDuel regulatory department, Smith joined FBG in 2021 as VP of Legal and Regulatory Compliance – overseeing a major multi-state rollout before being promoted to SVP of the department. Indeed, his prior experience makes him a well-placed figure to head the operator’s legal department looking forward.
Speaking on Smith’s appointment was FBG CEO Matt King, who stated: “Alex was one of our first hires and he helped build our legal and regulatory apparatus that has allowed us to launch products rapidly in legal sports betting, iCasino and prediction markets. As we continue to grow, Alex is the perfect person to lead our legal and regulatory functions into the future.”
Elsewhere, Sara Tait, FBG’s new SVP of Legal, will bring previous experience working for the Indiana state gambling regulator and is set to serve directly under Smith. Her responsibilities in this new role will encompass regulatory relationship management, legal counsel, strategic legal initiatives and more.
Smith also spoke on Tait’s appointment, commenting: “Sara is a well-respected former gaming regulator who also has experience in the private sector, making her the ideal choice to lead critical legal and regulatory efforts,” said Smith. “The legal and regulatory landscape for sports betting, iCasino and prediction markets are constantly changing and having someone that has been on both sides of the regulatory landscape will be invaluable to us as we continue our growth trajectory.”
These latest personnel changes for the operator follow the departure of former Executive Ari Borod, who was sued by FBG on anti-competitive grounds after joining Polymarket as President of Sports Development, with the pair eventually settling last month.
Last week, Fanatics also announced a new partnership with Livvy Dunne in anticipation of March Madness
