FanDuel, the premier online gaming company in North America,  announced a second $1 million donation to Operation HOPE, the nation’s leading non-profit dedicated to financial literacy, to promote financial empowerment and expand access to free financial counseling to residents of Kentucky. The announcement comes one year after the launch of mobile sports betting in the state and reinforces FanDuel’s commitment to responsible gaming practices by improving access to personal financial literacy education.

Through the expanded partnership, Operation HOPE will implement its HOPE Inside program and provide Kentucky residents access to Financial Wellbeing Coaches. The coaches will offer virtual and in-person financial health sessions across the state at no cost. Coaching sessions provide individuals with financial knowledge and tools to create a secure future, including helping with strategies to best manage entertainment spending, build savings, improve FICO (credit) scores and decrease debt.

“FanDuel believes in the importance of financial literacy education and how expanding access can promote and empower responsible gaming,” said Alison Kutler, Vice President, Responsible Gaming and Community Impact at FanDuel. “By extending the impact of our Operation HOPE partnership to Kentucky, we are able to help fund access to financial counseling across the state and reinforce our commitment to giving back to the communities in which we operate.”

“At Operation HOPE, we’re proud to partner with FanDuel to help educate individuals about responsible gaming, budgeting and savings,” John Battista, VP Partner Success at Operation HOPE said. “FanDuel has been a committed partner supporting our efforts to empower families and communities across the U.S. with the tools they need to thrive in today’s economy,”

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Earlier this year, FanDuel kicked off its partnership with Operation HOPE by donating $1 million and expanding access to the HOPE Inside program in Massachusetts, with the Kentucky expansion representing the next phase of the partnership. FanDuel and Operation HOPE will release content across digital OOH, radio and paid social to promote the program in Kentucky and drive awareness of the availability of free financial counseling.

FanDuel, North America’s premier online gaming company, announced it has appointed Caralyn Cooley as the company’s new Chief People Officer (CPO). Cooley will join FanDuel’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) reporting to CEO Amy Howe. In her role as CPO, Cooley will be responsible for the continued acceleration of FanDuel’s people strategy reflecting the company’s extraordinary growth trajectory. Cooley joins FanDuel as a seasoned multi-time CPO, with deep experience scaling global operations, shaping unique cultures and guiding teams through periods of intense growth. She will assume leadership of FanDuel’s people organization inclusive of human resources, talent acquisition, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), organizational effectiveness, employee branding, training, learning and development, compensation and employee benefits in service to the company’s Casino, Sports, and Operations business units.

“I am very excited to welcome Caralyn to FanDuel. Throughout her distinguished career Caralyn has held global roles building highly effective people teams that drive performance and reflect the needs of today’s diverse corporate culture. Her energy and passion for sports and the gaming sector made her an ideal fit, and her arrival strengthens our executive leadership team,” said Amy Howe, Chief Executive Officer for FanDuel.

Cooley most recently served as Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer for Bowery Farming, a U.S. vertical farming company that designs and builds smart indoor environments to reimagine the future of food. Bowery’s pesticide-free produce has been in the market since 2016 and is sold in thousands of retail locations and via e-commerce platforms including Amazon. During her tenure, Bowery grew from a proof-of-concept farm with one location to the largest vertical farming company in the US. Under her leadership, she built a talent model to scale globally, designed a total compensation strategy for all levels of the company, created a holistic diversity, equity and inclusion program and led Bowery’s business continuity response during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to Bowery, Cooley held the role of Chief People Officer for Nordeus from 2017 to 2019. Nordeus is the gaming studio behind Top Eleven, the world’s most successful mobile sports game. As CPO, she partnered with the company’s founders to architect Nordeus’ organizational structure, culture and talent acquisition strategy to fuel its rapid growth. In 2021, less than five years after her arrival, Nordeus was acquired by Take Two Interactive for a reported $378 million.

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Cooley earned her Master’s in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University. She also holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Resource Management from State University of New York-Oswego.

Mohegan Sun, in partnership with FanDuel, launched its all-new sports betting podcast, Sportsbook Live from Mohegan Sun. The first episode aired live from Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook on Thursday, Sept. 5, coinciding with the 2024/2025 pro football season kickoff. Hosted by Mike “Mut” Mutnansky and Eytan Shander, the podcast will air every Thursday at 6:00 p.m. through Nov. 7. Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook’s General Manager, Brad Bryant, will be featured on the podcast weekly, adding further game analysis, expert picks and general sports talk in addition to detailing special events coming up in the Sportsbook!

Fans who missed the live premiere can catch the episode on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify, Apple and Amazon Music, or watch the live-streamed sessions on YouTube. Each episode will also be available for replay on mohegansun.com/sportsbooklive. Reservations can be made through UrVenue for those interested in experiencing the live recording in person.

The 11,000-square-foot Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook opened in the winter of 2022 and has always been a hub of sports excitement. Brad Bryant became a regular on Mut Mutnansky’s weekly Boston sports radio show, providing picks, banter and betting advice on the weekend’s biggest games across college and pro football. Reunited with Mut and joined by Philadelphia sports media veteran Eytan Shander, Bryant continues to deliver in-depth analysis and predictions for the weekend’s biggest games across college and pro football.

On the premier episode aired on Thursday evening, the trio of Mutnansky, Shander and Bryant discussed the big games taking place across the football weekend into the Monday night pro-football game.

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“It was a thrill to join Mut and Eytan for the premiere of this all-new weekly sports podcast live from Mohegan Sun. Each week, we will continue to deliver real-time analysis, make predictions, and showcase the incredible game-day experience at Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook. I’m excited to continue bringing fans this exciting content every week,” said Brad Bryant, General Manager of Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook.

Produced in partnership with OddsShopper, Sportsbook Live from Mohegan Sun will also cover the MLB playoff stretch, the NBA and other major sports. With a 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. live schedule through Nov. 7, the live podcast leads into the big pro football games each Thursday night, viewable on the largest continuous video wall on the East Coast inside the Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook. The sportsbook also features 225+ seats, a mezzanine level with a private bar, a Race Book, 33 betting kiosks available 24/7, six cashier windows, a winning dining menu and much more.