Fanatics to Expand Its Royalty System With Pointsville’s Technology

Fanatics has teamed up with digital asset infrastructure provider Pointsville to add new distribution capabilities for FanCash, its loyalty currency.

The rollout is designed to let third-party partners plug into FanCash and support reward earning and redemption outside Fanatics’ own channels.

Under the plan, FanCash is intended to develop into an “open-loop” loyalty currency that can be used across settings such as stadium, hospitality, and retail, while continuing to funnel engagement back to Fanatics.

Pointsville’s platform will support partner-led campaigns that deliver FanCash through mechanisms like unique links and QR codes, covering both in-person and online activations.

Pointsville framed the integration as part of a trend toward more unified loyalty models that operate across multiple fan touchpoints.

Fanatics’ Bet on Multi-Vertical Loyalty Behavior

Fanatics has grown from a regional Florida sports merchandise retailer into a global, vertically integrated sports business after GSI Commerce acquired it in 2011.

Even so, sportswear commerce remains its main earnings driver with $6.2B in sales of the $8.1B total last year. Collectibles like trading cards generated $1.6B, while betting accounts for $300M.

Loyalty now sits at the center of how Fanatics links those businesses, rather than running them as separate storefronts.

Executives have noted that customers who interact with more than one service typically spend three to four times more than those who only bet or shop.

They launched the enterprise-wide program Fanatics ONE this August as the loyalty layer designed to drive those cross-platform habits.

Tucker Kain, the company’s chief strategy and growth officer, talked about why Fanatics overhauled its loyalty system:

We listened to what fans wanted – more unique rewards and more ways to spend their FanCash – and built a program that only Fanatics could deliver.

He also said at the time that the company already had roughly 10 million customers in its FanCash program before the migration.

Members earn FanCash points through purchases on the Fanatics website and app, as well as through activity on its casino and sportsbook.

They can redeem rewards for apparel and merchandise, along with game tickets and other experiences. The program also includes stand perks like giveaways and free shipping.

Fanatics is aiming for rewards that can be earned and used at venues like stadiums.

Tokenization Trend Spreads Into iGaming Rewards

Founded in 2020, Pointsville provides infrastructure and technology for issuing and managing digital assets, supporting both on-chain and off-chain models.

The firm has presented those capabilities as aligned with loyalty systems such as Fanatics ONE. With support from Pointsville, its partner can issue, track, and redeem rewards across multiple environments, rather than being limited to a single brand or platform.

A recent Series A round was led by Valor Capital Group, with Tether named alongside other technology and finance-oriented backers.

Pointsville also named Bruno Batavia to its board after his work at Brazil’s central bank, where he helped lead the Digital Real (DREX) project.

The company has tied its product strategy to anticipated growth in tokenized real-world assets through 2030.

In a high-profile sports deployment, Pointsville has worked with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a wallet-based rewards-management app for season-ticket holders.

Fans of the MLB team can earn and spend points on items such as memorabilia and merchandise via a gamified, crypto-based experience.

Pointsville CEO Gabaor Gurbacs pointed to the Fanatics partnership as proof of changing expectations for modern rewards programs:

Loyalty is moving from isolated programs to unified and interoperable models. FanCash shows what that future looks like, giving fans the ability to earn and redeem value across experiences. Pointsville is proud to provide an infrastructure that helps make this transition possible.

Elsewhere in iGaming, tokenization is being applied not only for loyalty tools but also to casino assets. Absolutebet has announced its intention to convert a portfolio of its properties into digital tokens listed on the LEMONCHAIN network.