FanDuel has ousted chief executive Amy Howe after more than five years at the helm of America’s leading online sportsbook, with parent company Flutter Entertainment [FLUT] confirming the leadership change on Wednesday alongside its first-quarter earnings report.
Howe, who joined FanDuel in 2021, oversaw a period of rapid expansion across the United States as the country unlocked sports betting market after market following the repeal of PASPA. Under her watch, FanDuel cemented itself as the dominant force in US online sports betting, pulling ahead of rival DraftKings [DKNG] on market share across multiple states. She was also one of the very few women to hold a CEO role at a major gambling company, and had recently been named a 2026 CNBC Changemaker.
FanDuel president Christian Genetski will now step in to lead the company, with Flutter also confirming that Dan Taylor, chief executive of the group’s international division, will take on a newly created role of president of Flutter Entertainment. Genetski has been with the business since 2011 and previously served as its chief legal officer before ascending to the presidency. Flutter CEO Peter Jackson described Genetski as an “exceptional leader” and said the restructuring would sharpen focus on the US sportsbook while better connecting domestic and international operations.
The departure was characterised differently depending on the source. An SEC filing detailing Howe’s severance arrangement pointed to a negotiated exit rather than a voluntary resignation. The package totals $4.37 million, equivalent to two years of combined base salary and potential bonus, and is more than four times her annual base pay. Flutter’s official statement offered warm words, with Jackson saying he wanted to recognise the “impact she has had on the business since joining in 2021.” In her farewell note to staff, Howe urged colleagues to use their voices and called on women in the company to keep supporting one another.
The timing of the announcement was deliberate, landing just hours before Flutter released its Q1 2026 results. The numbers were mixed at best. Group revenue came in at $4.3 billion, up 17% year-on-year, and net income climbed 22% to $209 million, beating analyst estimates. But Flutter simultaneously trimmed its full-year revenue guidance from $18.4 billion to $18.3 billion, and the company’s US adjusted EBITDA dropped 26% year-on-year to $119 million, weighed down by investment in FanDuel Predicts, the group’s in-house prediction markets platform, alongside costs from launching in Arkansas.
The pressure on Flutter extends beyond one earnings report. The stock has fallen nearly 60% over the past year as investors pull back from traditional sportsbook operators, spooked by the rapid rise of federally regulated prediction markets and concerns around consumer spending. DraftKings shares have declined roughly 30% over the same period. The prediction market threat has so far had only a limited direct impact on sportsbook handle, which Flutter estimates at a low single-digit percentage effect on growth, but the fear of further disruption has rattled the sector’s valuations.
Jackson was emphatic that the strategy itself is not changing, telling investors that the company remains committed to building out FanDuel Predicts while protecting its core sportsbook market share. Flutter has begun acting as a market maker for a third-party prediction market platform and plans to expand that operation. The group is also banking on a loyalty programme rollout ahead of the NFL season and the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off on 11 June, to drive engagement in the second half of the year.
For FanDuel, the leadership change marks the end of an era defined by extraordinary growth and increasing regulatory complexity. Genetski inherits a business that remains the clear market leader but is navigating its most uncertain period since legalised sports betting first took hold across the country.