Sports betting firm FanDuel returns to Scots roots with new hi-tech Edinburgh facility that can accommodate 500 people

FanDuel, which says it is the top online gaming company in North America, is getting back to its Edinburgh roots with the launch of its debut UK Collaboration Hub in the city, saying the space can accommodate 550 people, while the firm aims to create hundreds of skilled jobs this year.

The business, known for its offering in sports betting, says the new facility is designed to foster cross-discipline working and drive project innovation, connecting colleagues across the UK as part of its focus on collective working and co-operation.

FanDuel also says the move reinforces its commitment to and investment in its people, and the new site is open to staff across the UK and those visiting from the US. The Hub is intended to bring together skilled project teams across the UK tech, engineering, product and user-experience communities as the sports-tech company seeks to create 250 engineering jobs this year in support of its mobile sportsbook, casino, and racing platforms.

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It added that it is enjoying a period of “extraordinary” growth, and its parent company, the FTSE100 gambling giant Flutter, “recently reported earnings driven by FanDuel’s performance”. This included $750 million (£662m) in revenue in the second quarter, which helped the company become the first online operator to record a profit in the US, according to FanDuel. The latter added that it now enjoys a 51 per cent market share, requiring new investment in talent to support and grow the business in the UK Collaboration Hub.

The space is located on Freer Street in the Scottish capital’s Fountainbridge area, and is billed as including state-of-the-art equipment, multiple break-out areas, and meeting areas titled after some of Scotland’s iconic sports stars. Spanning three floors, the bespoke fit-out is designed to encourage “easy and inclusive” working, and also includes a gaming area, pool table, consoles, rooftop garden, acoustic and well-being pods.

Mathew Taylor, FanDuel vice president of software engineering, said: “We believe a collaborative approach is the best way to drive results and truly innovate when it comes to product delivery.

“The official launch of our new Collaboration Hub today signals an exciting new chapter in the FanDuel story that will proactively bring together the best talent from across the country to innovate and excel in this dedicated creative space.

From left: Sarah Butterfass (chief product officer), Andy Sheh (chief technology officer), Andy Giancamilli (chief operating officer), Jill Cameron (senior director of HR), Mathew Taylor (vice president of software engineering), and Shane Sweeny (technology senior vice president). Picture: contributed.

World-class

“The continued boom of the UK and Scottish tech sector is undisputed, and we wanted to create a new world-class environment to match our world-class engineering teams. Investing in our people is key and the Collaboration Hub helps us continue to recruit, develop and support our colleagues as we further grow our UK employee base.”

FanDuel was founded in Scotland in 2009, and grew to become a “unicorn” – a privately-owned start-up tech company with a valuation in excess of $1 billion. Flutter Entertainment – which claims to be the world's largest sports betting and gaming operator – took a majority share in 2020.

The FanDuel Group says it now has about 17 million customers, and is based in New York with offices in California, New Jersey, Florida, Oregon and Georgia as well as Scotland.