A 56-year-old Tennessee auto worker netted nearly $1 million on a free-to-play Home Run Derby game on the Fanatics Sportsbook app.
The sports betting operator announced on Monday that Royden Hudson, of Chattanooga, won $900,000 on the Fanatics 5 Jackpot when he correctly picked the winner of four first-round matchups before the July 15 event, and the number of home runs the winner would hit in those head-to-head competitions.
Hudson correctly took under 440 feet on Adolis Garcia’s longest homer of the first round. His deepest shot topped out at 435 feet to give Hudson the big prize and earn a phone call from Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin congratulating him on the big win.
“I have enjoyed playing these new free-to-play games on the Fanatics app,” Hudson said in a statement. “I took a chance and went with my gut in selecting Adolis Garcia and because he launched a 435-foot home run, I won this life-changing money and I am going to take my wife to Hawaii.”
The right decisions
Hudson gave himself a shot to win with the Garcia pick after he correctly chose Marcell Ozuna to outhit Pete Alonzo with 16 to 18 bombs. He also had Alec Bohm to outperform Teoscar Hernández with 19 to 21 homers, and Jose Ramirez over Bobby Whitt Jr. with 19 to 21 dingers. Hudson had Garcia getting past Gunnar Henderson and hitting 16 to 18 long balls to complete the first four legs.
Fanatics 5 Jackpot is usually worth $250,000, but the sports apparel and gaming company offered a special contest of up to $1 million for the Home Run Derby, which was won by Hernández.
Gaming options
Fanatics offers other free games, including a daily Fanatics 5 picks contest and a tic-tac-toe meets bingo game called Perfect 9 that allows users who download the app to compete for $500,000 each Sunday.
Fanatics operates a full, traditional sportsbook in 21 markets after purchasing PointsBet’s U.S. holdings last year and migrating its platform throughout 2024. Fanatics also operates an online casino app in New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
