Fanatics has partnered with Momentum Group, the first gaming licensee in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and will work together to grow gambling in the country.

Terms of the partnership are not available, but all of Momentum’s licenses and operations will form part of the group venture. The regulatory body in the UAE -- the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) -- has already signed off on the deal, which includes the UAE Lottery and Play971, the gambling website.

“The UAE has built one of the world's most carefully regulated commercial gaming markets, and this joint venture is a reflection of the confidence that brings,” Scott Burton, chief operating officer of Momentum Group, said in a news release announcing the deal. “Combining Momentum's regional experience with Fanatics’ global product capability creates a partnership well placed to grow alongside this market for the long term."

Fanatics will lend a hand in tech, product, customer experience, and responsible gambling protocols.

The right market and partner

This also marks Fanatics’ debut on the world stage.

“We have always said we would only expand internationally when we found the right market and the right partner,” Fanatics President of Gaming Conor Grant said, according to an iGamingBusiness report. “The UAE offers both a newly regulated market with a long-term vision for commercial gaming, and Momentum, a trusted local operator with deep market knowledge and a shared commitment to building responsibly. That combination made it the natural choice for Fanatics’ first international gaming expansion.”

The push to grow gambling comes as the UAE looks to diversify away from oil. Petroleum exports made up 40% of the country's GDP in 2010, a figure projected to fall to 20% by 2030, according to a J.P. Morgan investor note. That leaves a gap, and the UAE has positioned regulated gaming to help fill it. For Fanatics, that means entering a market the government is building deliberately — not just tolerating.

"The UAE is establishing one of the most thoughtfully regulated commercial gaming markets in the world, and Momentum has demonstrated what a responsible, credible operation within it looks like,” Burton commented in the release. “We are entering this market for the long term, committed to building something genuinely category-defining together."

Through the venture, the two companies plan to invest in technology, product, and customer experience, and to push standards on responsible gaming and player protection. They also aim to widen access to regulated gaming across the UAE and contribute to the country's growing digital economy.

The structure is built for long-term growth, operating within the framework set by the GCGRA, and both companies say they position responsible gaming and player protection as central to how they run.