Fanatics fined $20,000 by Colorado regulator for sending offers to self-excluded VIP user

Fanatics Sportsbook has been fined $20,000 by the Colorado Division of Gaming for sending promotional offers to a VIP user who had previously joined the state’s self-exclusion list on two different occasions. 

The user placed himself on Colorado’s self-exclusion list in January 2026 for a five-year term, only to receive offers from a member of Fanatics’ VIP team on February 1 and 17.

To the operator’s credit, Fanatics identified the issue on February 4 and notified its VIP leadership team of the infraction, as well as distributed training materials to front-facing team members. 

Fanatics eventually signed a stipulation and agreement to acknowledge findings made by the Colorado regulator, admit to the violations and voluntarily settle with the Division of Gaming through a mutual agreement. 

The operator will also be responsible for auditing its own self-exclusion list to determine whether any additional self-excluded users may have been contacted between January 1, 2024 and March 1, 2026. 

Fanatics will then provide a detailed report to the Colorado Division of Gaming and enhance its VIP staff training on regulatory risk awareness and responsible gambling protocols. 

According to the regulator, Fanatics failed to ensure compliance with its own responsible gambling strategy and therefore violated state gaming regulations. 

The Colorado Division of Gaming released the state’s sports wagering activity for June 2026 and the fiscal year period on August 3, as tax revenue during FY2025 reached an all-time high of $47.2m and increased 28.1%.

Total handle during FY2025 reached just over $6.4bn, including $1.35bn in basketball wagers, $853.7m from bets on the NFL, $548.1m for baseball, $346.4m from table tennis and $344.1m from soccer.

The FY2025 tax revenue amount also represents the first time in history that the Colorado Division of Gaming has collected over $40m from sports betting operators.