FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel historically a prominent player in the daily fantasy sports market decided in 2018 to enter the world of sports betting.
Design Manager
ROLE
2 Years
DURATION
Native & Web
PLATFORMS
BACKGROUND & PROBLEM
When sports betting legalised across US states in 2018, FanDuel launched with a white-labeled 3rd party app styled to match its existing fantasy sports platform. Despite entering late, the New Jersey launch was highly successful, quickly capturing market share. This momentum continued in WV and PA, establishing FanDuel as the market leader.
However this initial success highlighted 3 key issues limiting it:
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European Focus
The app was designed for European markets which didn't always resonate with US sports & customers.
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Apple App Store Compliance
Apple announced a requirement for all gaming apps to transition to fully native codebases within 18 months.
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Outsourced Development
Having an external development team control the codebase, limited our ability to ship & develop features.
Facing an 18-month Apple deadline and mounting technical constraints, we decided to build 'NxtGen' a react native sportsbook, built in house bespoke for the US market.
EXAMPLES OF FANDUEL BRANDED 3RD PARTY APP
Prioritisation & Alignment
Leveraging existing legacy app analytics and user research, with technical feasibility we able to quickly establish a prioritise roadmap.
Rather than a wholesale redesign, we focused on incremental improvements to high-impact areas—navigation, market discovery, and betslip flows—validating each change with users before broader rollout.
MADE FOR THE USA
We restructured the information architecture around North American sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) and priority markets through rapid workshops and low-fidelity prototypes. Moderated sessions and Maze tests validated our approach early, minimizing rework and ensuring navigation met US user expectations.
EARLY LOW FIDELITY MOCKS
FROM LOW TO high fidelity
We progressed from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity screens with gamelines and coupons, extending the Formation Design System with sportsbook components. Continuous validation through rapid prototype testing, A/B experiments, and engineering syncs ensured designs were both user-friendly and technically feasible. This iterative approach maintained brand consistency and accessibility across platforms while delivering intuitive experiences engineers could confidently build.
HIGH FIDELITY DESIGNS & PROTOTYPES FOR TESTING
LAUNCH & OUTCOMES
We soft-launched in West Virginia to validate platform stability before expanding to additional states via the NxtGen platform.
Following launch, FanDuel scaled rapidly to become the leading regulated sportsbook in the United States, growing from 4 states to 20+ states as market legalisation expanded. The platform reached 12 million+ registered users and regularly served ~3.5 million monthly active users, while product quality improved at scale, reflected in the mobile app's rating increasing from approximately 4.6 to 4.9 stars. By 2024, FanDuel's U.S. operations generated around $5.8 billion in revenue, with roughly $4.0 billion attributed to the sportsbook, and consistently captured ~41–43% market share, reinforcing its position as the clear market leader in a highly competitive, regulated landscape.
Will Loveland
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
4°C