Momentum Group and Fanatics Join Forces to Shape the Future of the UAE’s Regulated Gaming Market
A regional licence holder and a global sports platform are merging their strengths, with the regulator’s change-of-control approval already in hand.
The deals that matter in a new market are the ones the regulator has already signed off. Momentum Group announced a strategic joint venture with Fanatics that folds all of Momentum’s existing UAE commercial gaming licenses and operations into a single venture. The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) has approved the change of control. The Momentum Fanatics joint venture pairs Momentum’s regional standing and operational depth with Fanatics’ product knowledge, technology, and speed-to-scale.
What the Momentum Fanatics Joint Venture Will Operate
The structure is clean. Momentum holds the licences and the regional track record. Fanatics brings the global product and engineering scale.
The venture will run and grow the commercial gaming activities currently licensed to Momentum in the UAE: lottery, iGaming, sportsbook, and content websites. The stated focus is customer experience, technology, and sustainable long-term growth. Crucially, the GCGRA has already approved the change in control of Momentum’s licensed entities, which the regulator framed as consistent with its mandate to ensure commercial gaming is conducted by persons meeting the highest standards of fitness and propriety.
That approval is the part operators elsewhere should read twice. This is not a market-entry bid awaiting permission. The licences exist, the operations are live, and the regulator has signed off on Fanatics taking a controlling stake alongside Momentum.
Why the UAE Commercial Gaming Market Drew Fanatics
Fanatics already operates licensed sportsbook and iGaming products across multiple US states, with proven scale and technology infrastructure. The UAE is its strategic entry into a brand-new regulated market, and it has chosen to do it through the country’s leading regional operator rather than build from zero.
The reasoning is visible in how both executives framed it. Scott Burton, Chief Operating Officer at Momentum Group, said the UAE has built one of the world’s most carefully regulated commercial gaming markets, and called the joint venture a reflection of the confidence that brings. Conor Grant, President of Fanatics Gaming, went further, describing the UAE as one of the most thoughtfully regulated commercial gaming markets in the world and saying the company is entering for the long term to build something category-defining.
Read past the diplomacy and the message is consistent. Neither side is treating this as a quick play. Both are anchoring to the regulator’s rigour as the reason to commit, not a hurdle to clear.
What the Momentum Fanatics Joint Venture Means for Operators
For platform heads and commercial directors watching from other markets, the template just changed. A globally resourced operator has entered the UAE by partnering with an approved local licence holder and securing regulatory sign-off, rather than waiting in line for its own approvals.
The practical implication is competitive. Anyone weighing a UAE move now faces a market where a venture with US-scale technology is already cleared to run lottery, iGaming, sportsbook, and content sites. The boardroom question shifts from whether to enter to who you partner with, how fast, and whether a credible local licence holder is even still available.
Both companies have tied their public positioning to responsible gaming and player protection, describing compliance with the GCGRA framework as foundational. In a market the regulator is still shaping, aligning early with its priorities is strategy, not soft messaging.
Future Outlook for the Momentum Fanatics Joint Venture
The companies have stated their intent plainly: invest in technology, product, and customer experience; advance responsible gaming standards; expand access to regulated products; and contribute to the UAE’s wider digital economy. Over the next 6 to 12 months, the signals to watch are concrete. Expect Fanatics’ product and technology stack to start surfacing across Momentum’s iGaming and sportsbook operations, since that integration is where the scale becomes visible to customers. Watch how the lottery and content assets develop under the combined structure, as those tend to reach the broadest audience.
The deeper question is whether other global platforms follow Fanatics’ route, partnering with an approved local holder rather than waiting for their own licences. If they do, the UAE becomes one of the most contested regulated markets of the next cycle. The first move has been made, and cleared. The response is what tells the rest of the story.
Source: Momentum
