THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Fanatics’ Upstart Sports-Gambling Division Hires Marketing Chief

Sports-merchandise retailer Fanatics Inc. has hired Jason White as chief marketing officer of Fanatics Betting and Gaming, its nascent online sports-gambling division.

Fanatics, which is controlled by e-commerce entrepreneur Michael Rubin, has established itself as a seller of sports memorabilia, digital collectibles and trading cards in recent years. The company—which has agreements with major sports teams and leagues to design, manufacture and sell licensed gear and clothing—believes it can use its consumer database of more than 90 million sports fans to gain an advantage in the fast-growing online sports-gambling market, Mr. White said.

Fanatics Betting and Gaming isn’t operational yet. Mr. White is joining Fanatics after serving as CMO of MTV Entertainment, a unit of Paramount Global, for about a year. He previously led marketing for cannabis distributor Curaleaf Holdings Inc. and Apple Inc. -owned audio company Beats Electronics LLC…