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Why FanDuel Sportsbook Is The Best Betting App in Pennsylvania So Far
By Kyle Scott
Published:
There’s competition in the market, but FanDuel Sportsbook PA is the best online betting option in Pennsylvania so far.
With five online sportsbooks in PA currently accepting bets, and DraftKings Sportsbook PA looming around the corner, FanDuel has positioned itself to gain a substantial share of the Pennsylvania market in the early-going.
Let’s take a look at why.
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The App Experience
FanDuel Sportsbook was the first PA betting site to offer an iOS app, even though they were fourth to market. How does that happen? An Apple App Store policy update blocked gambling apps that relied on web code (HTML), likely for security reasons. This meant that the first sportsbooks to market, from Rush Street Interactive, including SugarHouse Sportsbook and BetRivers, could only offer iOS betting through the mobile web.
That all changed with FanDuel Sportsbook.
It’s unclear what they did (if anything), but FanDuel found a way to make its current app in New Jersey available in Pennsylvania and West Virginia on both iOS and Android.
Cross-state app access may not seem like a big deal, or almost laughably simplistic in 2019, but gaming apps come with heavy state-based regulation, so operators like SugarHouse and the recently launched FOX Bet have been offering separate apps across states.
Being there is one thing– offering a superior experience is another.
While we really like the experience offered up by FOX Bet in Pennsylvania, the polish isn’t quite there yet. FanDuel, on the other hand, while not perfect, offers an immediately simple and familiar experience for new users. Anyone with even a modicum of betting intellect can easily begin wagering on spread, moneyline, totals, and even parlays and teasers.
Everything is clean, easy to read, and works a bit more reliably than the second-best option in PA, which is FOX Bet.
Agressive Bonuses
FanDuel offers an ostensibly evergreen $500 risk-free bet to new users. But given the opportunity in Pennsylvania, they have gone above and beyond early in the season.
This weekend, they are offering two different promos– one to capitalize on the Penn State-Pitt game, and another to give users free money on touchdowns in select NFL games.
FanDuel Sportsbook is offering new players a $100 bonus in site credit with promo code CFB2019 if they correctly place a moneyline bet of at least $5 in the Penn State-Pitt game. Penn State is a massive favorite, so this is a high-probability bonus.
Meanwhile, on the Eagles, Steelers, Giants, and Jets games (all local teams in FanDuel Sportsbook markets), FanDuel is offering a $5 bonus for every touchdown a team scores if you select a player from that team to score the first touchdown of the game.
The Penn State offer in particular is aggressive.
A Great Opportunity
With DraftKings Sportsbook looming around the corner in Pennsylvania, FanDuel has a golden opportunity to capitalize on the lucrative PA betting market.
FOX Bet is taking a more cautious approach. While they are leveraging FOX Sports personalities to promote their app, they are only tepidly spending in the marketing, waiting to gauge customer long-term value before going all-in, so to speak, the way FanDuel is and DraftKings surely will.
So, FanDuel’s combination of superior user experience and aggressive promotion in Pennsylvania makes them the early winner.
Kyle Scott is the founder and editor of CrossingBroad.com. He has written for CBS Philly and Philly Voice, and been a panelist or contributor on NBC Sports Philly, FOX 29 and SNY TV, as well as a recurring guest on 97.5 The Fanatic, 94 WIP, 106.7 The Fan and other stations. He has more than 10 years experience running digital media properties and in online advertising and marketing.