Barstool Sportsbook Locations
Barstool Sportsbook debuted in Illinois with the launch of retail sportsbooks at Hollywood Casino Aurora and Hollywood Casino Joliet, both Penn National Gaming properties.
Now that Barstool Sportsbook is operational in a retail capacity, the launch of mobile betting should follow soon.
Penn National CEO Jay Snowden said last month that the Colorado sportsbook was the first of many Barstool betting locations. Bellying up to the Barstool. Though Penn National operates two casinos. The Barstool Sportsbook & Casino is available for download from the Apple App Store. It is not yet available on the Google Play Store due to rules set by Google. But you can still install the Android App. The land-based casinos boast over 50,000 games at premium hotels in desirable locations. (T&C's Apply, 21+, Only in PA). Significant events such as the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB could pique some Barstool Sportsbook sports betting interest. Since the Barstool Sportsbook.
With launch day quickly approaching, we present this early Barstool Sportsbook review to introduce the brand to sports bettors in Illinois. This review will discuss what we know so far and will be updated as we learn more and again after mobile betting goes live.
Readers may also visit BarstoolSports.com/barstool-sportsbook in the meantime to register for e-mail updates and to be notified when mobile betting goes live.
The Barstool Sportsbook Rundown
- Established: 2020
- Mobile Apps: iOS and Android apps coming soon
- Website: To be announced
- Sports Covered: Will likely cover pro and college sports across the US and abroad
- Welcome Bonus: To be announced
- License Status: Approved (Penn Sports Interactive, LLC)
About Barstool Sportsbook
The Barstool Sportsbook brand comes to Illinois courtesy of a partnership between casino operator Penn National Gaming and sports media outlet Barstool Sports.
For those unfamiliar with Barstool Sports, the company serves as one of the nation’s major sports betting news, commentary and podcasting operations. Barstool Sports was established in 2003 by Dave Portnoy, who remains the outspoken and occasionally controversial public face of the company to this day.
In January 2020, Penn National Gaming acquired a 36% interest in Barstool Sports for $163 million in cash and stock as a part of a deal that would see Barstool Sports serve as Penn National’s official gaming provider.
At a glance, the partnership agreement appears to be a smart fit for both operators.
Barstool Sports brings with it a massive and dedicated userbase as a sports media outlet that logs upwards of 66 million unique visitors per month. With a large customer database, Barstool Sportsbook can hit the ground running and compete against major operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel that also have large userbases.
Meanwhile, Penn National Gaming provides market access as the parent company of properties in 19 states across the country. In Illinois, that means Barstool Sportsbook may operate off a sports betting license held by one of Penn National’s locations rather than opt for a more expensive online-only license.
Company officials have also hinted at offering more than just a simple sportsbook where customers go to log on, place bets and log off. Rather, Barstool Sportsbook intends to offer a more social experience with Barstool personalities interacting with customers, live events and more.
A Penn National presentation from early 2020 offers a preview of the partnership’s approach to the sports betting and gaming business:
- Penn National will leverage Barstool Sports’ brand name to promote its retail sportsbooks, mobile betting and online casino products
- Barstool Sportsbook provides Penn National a “complementary” audience that already has “a strong affinity for sports and gaming”
- Key Barstool Sports talent will be “highly incentivized” to grow Penn National’s business and minimize new customer acquisition costs
- Barstool will make use of its “key talent, live events and tailored content” to promote Penn National casinos
- Penn National will create a custom “omni-channel sports betting and casino ecosystem for retail and digital customers across the U.S.”
When Will Barstool Sportsbook Illinois Launch?
Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini told FOX Business in an interview this summer that the company aims to launch mobile betting in September.
The proposed launch date corresponds with the anticipated start of the NFL season, even in a year in which many things are still uncertain due to COVID-19 concerns.
Pennsylvania appears to be first on the list according to comments from Penn National and Barstool Sports insiders. Even if that holds true, Illinois will not be far behind as the company appear to have nearly everything in place to go live once approved by the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB).
Barstool Sportsbook Bonus
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Barstool Sportsbook will likely offer a welcome bonus of some sort to all new customers as it will face no shortage of competition in Illinois.
What form that bonus will take remains to be seen, but common types of welcome offers seen in the industry include:
- A deposit match bonus: This would offer new customers an amount of cash or credit corresponding to the size of their first deposit. For example, the Barstool Sportsbook bonus could choose to offer a 100% up to $500 bonus that would effectively double each new user’s first deposit.
- Risk free bet offer: A risk-free bet offer would promise to refund each customer’s first wager with cash or site credit if it loses, up to a certain amount.
- No-deposit bonus: No-deposit bonuses tend to be smaller but offered in addition to a standard deposit bonus. As an example, Barstool Sports could opt to give all new users $10 free to place a bet just for registering an account.
Mobile App Review
Barstool Sportsbook will offer mobile betting from day one, but the company has issued few details on how the app will look and function. It is safe to bet apps will be provided for iOS and Android devices alike, along with a website for desktop betting.
If the existing Barstool Bets app is any preview of what’s to come, the Barstool Sportsbook app will be sleek, functional and easy to use. Details are lacking at the moment, but eventually the Barstool Sportsbook app is likely to offer standard wagering, in-game betting and certain social features to connect bettors with Barstool Sports personalities, content and highlights.
However, Penn Sports says it has an in-house product development for the Barstool Sports app. This means the end product will not be a simple reskin of Barstool Bets but rather an entirely new betting app built from the ground up.
Barstool Bets App
The Barstool Bets app functions as the company’s sports betting news and gambling entertainment arm
Users can download the Barstool Bets app to follow BSS personalities, read betting previews, listen to podcasts and participate in free-to-play contests for a chance to win real money. In states where online sports betting isn’t yet legal, Barstool Bets keeps fans involved and up to date legally.
Barstool Bets contests basically function as handicapping competitions but free to enter. For example, players might enter a contest covering a single NFL game and are given 1,000 points to place in-game “wagers” throughout the game. The contestants with largest points balances at the end earn real payouts.
Betting Markets and Types of Wagers
Barstool Sportsbook has not revealed the full extent of sports it will cover or wagering options it will provide, but we can reasonably guess it will feature a full menu of college and professional sports plus in-game wagering.
Regulations adopted by the IGB allow operators to accept wagers on most types of sports events. The most notable restrictions are that sportsbooks may not take bets on minor league sports or events involving Illinois colleges.
Barstool Sportsbook Deposit Methods
Which deposit methods Barstool Sportsbook will accept is also unknown at this early stage. However, Barstool Sportsbook customers will likely have a few options to choose from. Illinois regulations allow licensed operators to accept deposits via:
- Credit and debit cards: Visa and Mastercard will likely be accepted; Discover is a maybe
- Cash at the cage: Licensed betting sites are permitted to accept in-person deposits at the casino with which they are partnered
- Reloadable prepaid cards: Play+ is the most popular reloadable card used by the industry. It allows customers to fund their accounts online instantly similar to an e-wallet but also includes physical card that may be used wherever Discover is accepted. Customers may deposit online the same day they sign up and will receive the actual card in the mail later.
- Online banking: Transfer funds directly from a bank account to one’s betting account – free and instant.
Best Illinois Sportsbooks
- BetRivers IL
- PointsBet IL
- DraftKings Sportsbook
The much-anticipated Barstool Sportsbook is now live in Pennsylvania.
It comes with an army of fans, bombastic “El Presidente” David Portnoy and high hopes from Penn National.
After a three-day test period, the Barstool Sportsbook achieved regulatory approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. It will now be available 24/7 to people 21+ physically located in Pennsylvania. Users can access it via desktop or by downloading it in the Apple App Store.
Through Barstool’s partnership with Hollywood Casino, Pennsylvania will be the first state in which it launches its sportsbook. A press release indicated that Penn National plans to bring the Barstool Sportsbook app to additional states in the coming months.
Invite-only launch
Barstool is the 10th online sportsbook in Pennsylvania. It is the first to limit the number of users during the test period.
During Penn National’s January acquisition of Barstool, Penn touted its 66 million monthly unique visitors. Jay Snowden, president and chief executive officer of Penn National, said:
“We believe the significant reach of Barstool Sports and loyalty of its audience will lead to meaningful reductions in customer acquisition and promotional costs for our sports betting and online products, significantly enhancing profitability and driving value for our shareholders.”
Of course, all 66 million people aren’t located in Pennsylvania, nor are they all going to download the app. However, the arrival of Barstool’s sports betting product comes with much anticipation and an already built-in audience.
Portnoy calls PA step one in plan for world domination
At around 1 p.m. EST on Sept. 15, Barstool went fully live. An email was sent from Portnoy shortly after to the site’s users. It said that Pennsylvania was “just step 1 of our world domination plan.”
“We plan to quickly launch in every state where sports gambling is legal. Just like how we’ve built this company brick by brick, we will launch state by state and give each state the attention it deserves.
“Obviously, my haters, of which there are many, are hoping we fail. Well, I have an undying faith in the loyalty of our fans that make me believe we will do what we always do, and that’s shut up the critics and astound Wall Street with our performance.”
The email ended with Portnoy saying that the Barstool Sportsbook app can be downloaded no matter where your location is. (However, you won’t be able to play until is legal in your state).
Portnoy bets big on Phillies and Pirates
Portnoy didn’t waste any time placing bets on the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
20K on Phillies to win and 5K on Bryce Harper to get a hit #BetResponsibly#ExcitementTax#1800GamblerForHelphttps://t.co/j7TBrRvh11
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 18, 2020
I didn’t forget about you Pittsburgh #BarstoolSportsbookpic.twitter.com/dx7NURnQxu
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 18, 2020
A look at Barstool Sportsbook
Barstool Sportsbook comes with the standard wagering options and in-game wagering, cross-sports parlays, moneylines, futures, teasers, round robins and numerous prop bets. Deposit and withdrawal methods are similar to other PA sportsbook apps.
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Barstool Sportsbook exclusives:
- Barstool Personality Picks and Parlays: Daily opportunities to follow or fade the Barstool team’s picks and parlays
- Quick Pick 6: A system-generated, random six-leg parlay where bettors can control the legs and the wager
- Daily Odds Boosts
Also, the app has a “Move the Line” scroller that allows users to buy and sell points by using a scroller button.
Penn National betting big on Barstool
In late January, Penn National Gaming acquired a 36% stake in Barstool Sports for $163 million in cash and stock. The transaction valued Barstool at $450 million. The agreement gives Penn National the sole rights to use the Barstool Sports brand for its online sports betting and online casino products.
At the SBC Digital Summit North America in July, Jay Snowden, president and CEO of Penn National Gaming, discussed the acquisition.
“We knew the one thing that we were missing from a sports betting perspective at Penn was a brand to lead with and an audience to market to. We had great casino brands, but our audience today tends to skew older — 45-plus — and the sports bettors tend to skew younger — 21 to 45 — so that’s where we started to look at who we might want to partner with, and of course we eventually bought Barstool.”
“We’re going to lead with the Barstool brand from an online sports betting perspective,” he said. “We’re also in the process of converting our existing retail sportsbooks inside of our casinos and our sports bars to Barstool branded sportsbooks and sports bars.”
Penn National stock soars on Barstool launch day
Penn National Gaming stock ($PENN) opened Nasdaq trading at $65.54 a share on Tuesday. It hit a 52-week high of $69.77 a share at around 11:25 a.m. But it beat that on Friday with a new high of $76.62. $PENN closed on Friday at $70.55
Penn’s stock gained steam when it announced the Barstool deal in late January. It wasn’t immune to the jarring effects of COVID-19 and sunk to less than $4 a share in March. But it bounced back in July, reaching $37 a share, then came on strong in late August at $56.
A book with interesting characters
With the arrival of the Barstool Sportsbook, Pennsylvania will have 10 online sportsbooks. However, until now, only Fox Bet has used personalities to market its product.
The Barstool Sportsbook will be unique in that it’s a sports media company entering the sports betting vertical. Also, no other sportsbook has an outspoken and sometimes controversial face of the product like Portnoy.
Said Snowden during the SBC Digital Summit:
“We obviously spent a lot of time doing diligence on Barstool, and we got very comfortable with making an investment in Barstool. Dave Portnoy and the folks at Barstool are a sort of meshing of Sports Center and Howard Stern and reality TV. It’s a sports media company, but at the end of the day, these are entertainers. They create content — they’re comedians.”
Penn’s latest gaming app joins its current offering of a Hollywood online casino and sportsbook.