FanDuel bolsters public affairs team with high-profile government veteran hires

FanDuel, one of the biggest betting franchises in America, has added two new hires to its company roster. Both bring government experience and will assist the operator with ramping up its involvement in legislative conversations.

Shailagh Murray comes into the sports betting giant as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, and Jonathan Nabavi has been appointed Vice President of Federal Affairs.

“Shailagh and Jon bring decades of experience navigating difficult policy issues in a thoughtful, collaborative manner.” – Christian Genetski, FanDuel President

The recruits have some seasoned resumes as Murray comes in having served as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at Columbia University and Senior Advisor to President Obama from 2015 to 2017, after serving as Vice President Biden’s deputy chief of staff and communications director.

Navabi comes fresh from being the go-to person for the National Football League’s development of betting regulations and policy. He also led the NFL’s public policy and legislative agenda to the highest levels, including the U.S. Congress, the White House, and other federal and local government agencies.

Christian Genetski, President at FanDuel, said, “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 has now added skilled litigators with government experience to help them navigate the heated arena that is state legislature. This comes on the back of news that the parent company of FanDuel, Flutter, has stated that from September 1, 2025, it will add a $0.50 fee to every bet placed on its platform in Illinois.

As we reported, FanDuel and rival DraftKings have been at loggerheads with state legislators across the nation. The CEO of DraftKings, Jason Robins, addressed Illinois regulators in a media interview, announcing that betting taxes could alter the existing fee landscape.

The CEO said, “All it’s going to do is drive people to the illegal market or drive people to bet more. It just makes no sense, and it was done in the dead of night. We had no warning, actually met with legislative leaders in the weeks before the budget was released, and they made no mention of this.”

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