Fanatics 5 Jackpot game awards $900K to one insightful player

Fanatics, a self-styled leader in global digital sports, has meat to add to the boastful claim. The company’s Fanatics 5 Jackpot game, a popular free-to-play game that is available through the Fanatics app, has just paid out $900,000 to one Tennessee resident, Royden Hudson, the company announced in a press statement shared with the public.

Home Run Derby proves a success for one lucky player

This is one of the largest jackpots to have been won through a sports betting and gaming app, setting Fanatics quickly apart from the pack. The amount won was so significant that Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin felt the urge to call the Chattanooga-based resident and congratulate him personally.

Fanatics has been looking to steadily increase its presence in the United States sports betting and gaming market, as the company is one of the newest entrants in the space.

Leveraging its apparel and sports gear brand, it has been trying to come up with new ways to engage with customers and draw audiences to its platform, with free-to-play games proving a good opportunity. In the meantime, the company has similarly rolled out its sports betting platform in places such as Iowa, Michigan, and New Jersey, continuing to grow at a good clip.

Fanatics 5 Jackpot works by combining fans’ love for sporting events with their insight into specific contests. Normally, Fanatics 5 Jackpot runs a quarter of the recently won jackpot, but the company decided to up the ante and offer $1 million instead on the occasion of the Home Run Derby.

Hudson himself won by picking the winner of four matchups as well as how many runs the winner would record in each one. Not only that, but Hudson also correctly predicted Adolis Garcia’s longest home run. Hudson pinned Garcia’s performance at 440 feet, missing the mark by five feet, but still close enough to secure the price. Garcia did 435 feet.

For his part, Hudson has been very excited with not just the prize he had won, but also how the Fanatics app operates, pointing out its free-to-play games that allow sports fans to test their betting knowledge.

Free-to-play games remain an important part of companies’ strategy

These games have been also an important part of the company’s strategy to grow its reach and engage new audiences. Other companies, such as BetMGM, FanDuel, and DraftKings have similarly embraced the format.

"I took a chance and went with my gut in selecting Adolis Garcia and because he launched a 435-foot home run, I won this life-changing money and I am going to take my wife to Hawaii," Hudson shared with Fanatics in the official press statement.

Fanatics has made the games available to everyone with players asked to simply download and install the app and join one of the company’s games. Fanatics 5 Jackpot is hardly the only option there is for players to explore, however.

Similarly, sports buffs may check out the Fanatics 5 Daily or Perfect 9 games which offer prize pools of $250,000 and $500,000 respectively.

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