US wagering websiteSports Handlereported a deal was close to being completed on Friday. PointsBet declined to comment as the negotiations have not been finalised.
If the deal goes ahead,Fanatics will take over PointsBet’s capital requirements and its two-year advertising deal with NBC,worth $500 million in 2020.
One source who was not authorised to speak publicly said the surplus cash from the sale is expected to be distributed to shareholders upon completion.
PointsBet has been at the centre of local industry consolidation rumours for the past year,and rejected two takeover attempts from News Corp’s joint-venture Betr and preliminary interest from other local operators including Entain and Tabcorp.
PointsBet entered into exclusivetalks with Betr at the end of last year but the Matt Tripp-led group was unable to secure the $250 million PointsBet was seeking for the deal. PointsBet publicly confirmed it was no longer entertaining talks with Betr in a market update last month.