FanDuel Beefs Up Public Policy Team as Rules Change

Sports betting giant FanDuel Group has grown its leadership by hiring two experienced public policy professionals. The company brought on Shailagh Murray as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Jonathan Nabavi as Vice President of Federal Affairs. These key hires happen as online gaming and sports betting face big rule changes across the US.

FanDuel Strengthens Leadership with Former White House and NFL Policy Strategists

Murray has a rich background in communications, public affairs, and government policy. Before she joined FanDuel, she worked as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at Columbia University. Earlier, she spent six years in top positions in the Obama administration. She served as a Senior Advisor to the President and as Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director for Joe Biden when he was Vice President. She started her career in journalism reporting for major outlets like The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She covered key global events, from European politics to major US legislative fights.

Nabavi is moving to FanDuel from the National Football League (NFL). At the NFL, he managed the league’s legislative strategy and regulatory relationships. His NFL job focused on important policy-making regarding sports betting. Before the NFL, Nabavi held top advisory positions in Congress. He worked as Majority Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee and as Counsel for the House Oversight Committee.

FanDuel Grows Public Affairs Team to Tackle Emerging Industry Challenges

The timing of these hires shows FanDuel‘s active steps to handle changing rules. The company’s president, Christian Genetski, noted:

 “As we look to the future, we understand the important role FanDuel must play in policy discussions that will address how we build and shape the online gaming industry over the long term. Shailagh and Jon bring decades of experience navigating difficult policy issues in a thoughtful, collaborative manner. We are confident they are the right leaders to work alongside key stakeholders to grow our industry responsibly and sustainably.”

FanDuel’s growth of its policy team happens as sports betting undergoes big changes. New issues have come up for betting companies, like changes to tax write-offs for gambling losses and more focus on daily fantasy sports. FanDuel has started charging new fees in some places, like Illinois, to cover higher costs.

FanDuel owned by Flutter Entertainment, has about 17 million customers across all 50 US states. It offers sports betting, online casino games, horse racing, and fantasy sports.