Paul Kuehnel/Imagn Content Services
There are now nearly two dozen legal, regulated sportsbooks in New Jersey, with two more potentially arriving in the next week (check back here for updates). The buzz for new sportsbook arrivals varies, of course, but Barstool Sportsbook — operated by Penn National Gaming — has more of a cross-country reach than most.
So with the launch of their sportsbook in the Garden State this week, we checked in on what makes this one worth adding to a busy sports fan’s smartphone app list.
“We have many unique features for our New Jersey players to enhance their sports betting and online casino experience,” Siska Concannon, VP of marketing for Penn Interactive, told NJ Online Gambling. “Unlike the other books, we offer same-game plus multi-game parlays. Our players can build parlays their way, by combining multiple bets from the same Parlay+ games plus hundreds of additional bet types from other Parlay+ games available on the Barstool Sportsbook.”
Barstool’s sportsbook features the usual odds boosts as well as “unique picks and bet offers” from a variety of Barstool Sports personalities. Penn National acquired part-ownership of Barstool Sports in 2020 in order to use the brand for its sportsbook.
The site’s trademarked “Move The Line” phrase is for a feature designed to make it easy to change the point spreads and over/under totals to create alternate lines for those who are confident they still can win even with more challenging lines, which result in bigger payouts.
There also is a “mychoice” loyalty rewards program which credits every sports bet and online casino play that is made. The potential for “access to exclusive events and experiences at more than 40 retail destinations across the country” is particularly appealing to “Stoolies” who have an affinity for the product outside of the gambling realm.
Another feature that may not appeal to a professional bettor, but likely will appeal to devotees, is the “shareable betslip” option that sends your bets to various social media channels or to pals through text messages. Supporters of your picks can then quickly click to make the same bet on their account.
Of course, there is the inevitable — in New Jersey, anyway — signup bonus. This one is for a first-time, risk-free sports bet of up to $1,000, as well as 24 hours of online casino play at no risk for up to $1,000.
Concannon said, “Our marketing strategy is unique – while we will be investing in targeted and strategic paid advertising, our amplification strategy is heightened by the power of our media partner.”
She then added, “Barstool Sports is a content marketing master and understands the sports and gambling audience better than any other media operator in the market. Because of this, we are able to focus our efforts on delivering best-in-class promotions for our players, strategic advertising opportunities, unique experiences, and events to all level of players, as well as a world class VIP program. We are excited to deliver even more enhanced offers and unique ‘money can’t buy’ experiences for our New Jersey players.”
Barstool debuted its sportsbook in Pennsylvania in 2020 and added online casino there earlier this year. There, the Barstool site offers information such as “Betting Stats and Trends” and “Implied Win Probability.”
Other 2021 Barstool launches have come in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Colorado, Virginia, Tennessee, and — as of this week — Arizona. All are sportsbook-only to start except for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan. More states are likely to be added later this year, Concannon said.
Every sportsbook in New Jersey must have an Atlantic City casino or state racetrack as a partner, and Barstool is teaming up with Freehold Raceway, which can add two additional partners at any point. That harness racing track opened a sportsbook last year with the branding of Parx, a Philadelphia-area racetrack and casino.
Are any changes afoot at Freehold, then?
“Not at this stage,” Concannon said, “Freehold remains an important operation for us under the current structure, and we are looking forward to its ongoing success.”
Photo: Paul Kuehnel/Imagn Content Services