Octoplay is now live in Michigan across BetMGM, FanDuel, Fanatics, and Rush Street Interactive, marking the company’s second U.S. state and largest coordinated market entry to date. The simultaneous go-live with four tier-one operators arrives less than six months after Octoplay’s United States debut in New Jersey.

Since its founding in October 2022, Octoplay has secured active licenses across thirteen regulated jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, New Jersey, Ontario, Michigan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Malta, Italy, Greece, Romania, and Slovakia. Michigan extends that momentum into the U.S. As one of the top three states by iGaming revenue, it represents a significant market, and Octoplay enters it with four tier-one operators live from day one.

“Just months after our New Jersey debut, Michigan represents the next phase of our U.S. expansion,” says Ralitsa Georgieva, Director of Business Development at Octoplay. “Launching simultaneously with four leading operators shows the confidence the market has in our content. We expect to carry this momentum into additional states throughout 2025.”

Earlier this year, Octoplay ranked first among U.S. rising suppliers by overall index in H1 according to Eilers & Krejcik, underscoring the company’s accelerating trajectory. With Michigan now live and additional state applications in progress, Octoplay is positioned to extend its North American footprint throughout 2025 and beyond.

Fanatics announced an exclusive, multi-year partnership with Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard, who becomes the newest addition to Fanatics’ roster of athletes housed under the organization’s memorabilia and collectibles division, Fanatics Authentic.

Under the new deal, Fanatics is now the sole distributor of Bedard’s highly sought-after officially licensed memorabilia and collectibles including authentic jerseys, pucks, sticks, helmets, gloves and photos, as well as a unique assortment of game-used equipment from games with the Blackhawks, All-Star Games and other competitions.

“I’m very excited to be working with Fanatics and join their amazing team of athletes across all sports. Getting to know their group and learn about all the work they put into creating really special memorabilia for fans has been awesome. As the season gets underway, I’m looking forward to sharing what we are releasing together,” said Bedard.

Widely regarded as hockey’s next can’t-miss prospect, Bedard was selected first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft following an illustrious career in the Western Hockey League in which he recorded 143 points in just 57 games during his final season with the Regina Pats. During the 2023-24 NHL season, his first professionally with the Blackhawks, Bedard led all first-year players in goals (22) and points (61) on his way to winning the Calder Memorial Trophy awarded to the league’s top rookie.

“Connor Bedard is one of the NHL’s emerging superstars and Fanatics is thrilled to welcome him to our team. After a stellar rookie season, he has quickly become a fan favorite, and we look forward to providing hockey fans everywhere with unprecedented access to a premier assortment of his autographs, collectibles and game-worn products,” said Fanatics executive vice president Victor Shaffer.

Bedard joins a star-studded roster of athletes across all sports to have exclusive memorabilia partnerships with Fanatics Authentic including Tom Brady, Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Sabrina Ionescu, Harry Kane and Victor Wembanyama.