Barstool Sportsbook is now live in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. It will eventually be available in even more states as online sports betting continues to spread nationwide.
Barstool Sportsbook’s promo code offers new users a $1,000 risk free bet. It is fairly standard fare among online betting apps.
| Barstool Sportsbook | Promo Code Offer |
|---|---|
| Signup Bonus For Barstool Sportsbook | $1,000 risk-free bet |
| How To Sign Up | Players can download the Barstool Sportsbook app from the iOS App Store or on Android |
| Promo Code | NOT AVAILABLE |
| States Available | PA, MI |
Alternatives To Barstool Sportsbook
We think the best alternative to Barstool Sportsbook is FOX Bet. It offers the same personality-driven experience with more varied bets, odds boosts and league integration. It’s also an official Eagles partner. The custom bets and odds boosts are a huge differentiating factor…
For everyone else in states where Barstool Sportsbook isn’t yet available, you should download DraftKings Sportsbook. It’s the overall best sports betting app– and it’s not even close.
Barstool Sportsbook Review
Barstool is a brand that has become synonymous with sports and entertainment, bringing irreverence to topics often met with otherwise mundane coverage. Their partnership with Penn National Gaming has elevated them into the national conversation for legal online sports betting, as they’ve launched in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. Users in those states can attest to the easy-to-use interface and solid functionality. It might not yet be at the same level as DraftKings Sportsbook or FanDuel Sportsbook, but it’s certainly in the conversation with BetMGM and FOX Bet.
User Interface
At its heart, Barstool Sportsbook doesn’t try to be the flashiest, graphics-bound sportsbook like some of its online counterparts. The red, white, and blue color scheme that adorns the Barstool Sports website is prevalent in the Barstool Sportsbook interface. Sliders that allow users to “move the line” are a much-welcomed addition, as some sportsbooks bury alternate lines in subsections of additional wager sections.
The presence of recent game records, over/under records, previous head-to-head matchups, and recommended markets on the same page represents a much more enjoyable experience than with other sportsbooks, where such graphics are found across multiple tabs.
Bonuses & Promos
Barstool Sportsbook offers a plethora of bonuses that range from sport-specific bonuses like “Anytime Home Run Insurance” to team-specific jackpot bonuses like “$76k Playoff Jackpot” to survivor pools like “$40k Playoff Survival” and more. Built into the promo and bonus page are offers for the branded casino, which is integrated into the sidebar of the sportsbook site.
Deposit Methods
Barstool Sportsbook’s deposit methods include many of those seen across their competitors, including direct deposit, credit card, PayPal among others.
Stability
While timeout issues and freezing have plagued other online sportsbooks in the early stages of their respective rollouts, our experience with Barstool Sportsbook has yielded no such problems.
Variety of Action
Barstool Sportsbook offers plenty of live betting options in addition to pregame spreads, moneylines, game props, and player props. Not only do they have the major four sports, but plenty of international action on soccer, golf, cycling, motorsports, cricket, tennis, and plenty of combat sports.
Overall
Barstool Sportsbook has done an excellent job leveraging the experience and infrastructure of Penn National Gaming to create a sportsbook worthy of consideration. Bettors who enjoy the content Barstool Sports provides will certainly enjoy the cross-promotion of talent, while the entity’s exposure on social media is certain to grab an immediate foothold as Barstool Sportsbook expands into other states. The app isn’t quite at the same level as a DraftKings Sportsbook or FanDuel Sportsbook, but their constant updates are narrowing the ga.
Barstool Sportsbook Promotions
Here are the most current promotions in Barstool’s betting app as of July, 2021:
- Listed Pitcher Insurance
- Welcome Bonus
- First Time Deposit Bonus
- Barstool Power Hour
- Customization Bonus
Listed Pitcher Insurance
Barstool touts this as “wager worry-free on MLB games.” You get 100% bet insurance to protect your wager against listed pitcher changes that take place prior to first pitch. There’s no cap.
Welcome Bonus
$10 cash bonus with no deposit.
2 For 1 New Player Bonus
The 2 for 1 New Player Bonus: If your 1st bet loses, get an equal free bet up to $1,000.
First Time Deposit Bonus
The First Time Deposit Bonus offers new Barstool Sportsbook players a true, 100% risk-free bet up to $500 on your first eligible wager following your first deposit.
Barstool Power Hour
This is Barstool’s best promotion. #ReduceTheJuice with Barstool Power Hour. Bettors can enjoy bettor-friendly discounts on standard odds across selected matchups. Check back daily, as a new Barstool Power Hour will be live from 5PM-6PM EST every weekday.
Customization Bonus
Players get a $5 bonus by updating the “Betting Favorites” section in your account preferences.”
Barstool Sportsbook Launch Date
Barstool Sportsbook officially launched on September 18, 2020 in Pennsylvania. It will eventually be available in all states where Penn National has approved online sports betting licenses– including New York.
Thanks to a 36% acquisition of the popular Barstool Sports brand by sports leading casino operator Penn National Gaming, Barstool Sportsbook and other Barstool-related brands, such as “One Bite” pizza and others will have a presence on Penn National Gaming properties.
Types of Promos Barstool Offers
Barstool Sportsbook currently offers two types of signup bonuses, and then a series of ongoing promos.
Risk-Free Bets
Barstool’s $500 risk free bet compares favorably to other betting apps.
Other top legal online sportsbooks use offer bettors big risk-free bets up to $1,000 at sign up. Typically, such sportsbooks will match a user’s first bet up to a certain amount and refund losing wagers in the form of site credit. Some sites require a rather high play-through requirement, meaning the site credit must risked (possibly multiple times) in order to make a withdraw. While some sites will simply release the credit all at once, others will release smaller amounts for the user to play over multiple bets.
Risk-free bets aren’t limited to just new users as many sportsbooks will offer risk-free plays as an incentive for users to make a certain number of wagers or place bets on specific sporting events.
We could imagine Barstool, in leveraging its personalities, may offer risk-free bets that allow you to wager on action presented by the likes of El Pres, Big Cat, KFC, and others, and then refund the bet if it loses. FOX Bet does this with Cousin Cal.
Odds Boosts
Almost every prominent legal online sports betting site offers odds boosts, but Barstool Sportsbook took a page out of FOX Bet’s playbook and uses its various personalities to brand special offers.
FOX Bet used the likes of Colin Cowherd, Charissa Thompson, and Cousin Sal to brand various promotional payouts throughout this past football season. Barstool leverages personalities like David Portnoy, Big Cat, PFT Commenter, and Marty Mush.
Bet Insurance
Even the best and most seasoned bettors are susceptible to bad beats—blown leads, bad calls, and fluke plays have spoiled plenty of seemingly sure things over the years. That’s why several sportsbooks offer various types of bet insurance.
Some books will offer site credit for parlays with one losing leg, while others will wipe away late-game losses. Bet insurance not only takes some of the risk away from a potential wager, it’s also good PR.
Barstool offers this for pitching changes in MLB games.
Barstool Sportsbook Brand Power
“Barstool Bets” app integrates Barstool’s strong portfolio of blogs, streaming video, podcasts, and social media presence to support free-to-play cash contests, backed by free-to-play gaming provider Chalkline Sports. In time, Barstool is expected to transform into a full-fledged sports betting app that accepts traditional wager types on a wide-range of sports.
What makes the future of Barstool Sportsbook so intriguing is the brand’s meteoric rise in recent years, spurred by a rapidly increasing and extraordinarily loyal fanbase comprised of young male sports fans—the precise demographic targeted by sportsbooks. Moreover, the reach of Barstool’s many tentacles in the sports media landscape figure to power an ultra-effective organic brand promotion.
Barstool Sportsbook won’t be the first household name positioned outside of the sports betting realm to slap its brand on a legal online sportsbook, but Barstool’s lineup of popular and engaging talent figures to drive prospective sports bettors in droves to the app.
This is, in part, why casino and sports betting giant Penn National Gaming made the costly move to purchase a minority stake in Barstool Sports, a move that within three years could grow to a roughly 50% stake. Whereas Penn National Gaming had previously paved the way for companies such as DraftKings Sportsbook to enter states where online sports betting has been or will be legalized, now PNG can throw its own sportsbook into the fray. As we previously explained in a separate post on the merger:
“Why do this? Penn National was already exceedingly-well positioned in the sports betting space given their reach and market access. But there rumors they wanted to launch their own brand-not simply provide access for partners. Acquiring a piece of Barstool allows them to do just that. No one was playing a “Penn National Online Sportsbook,” not in Pennsylvania or elsewhere. But Barstool Bets? That will resonate everywhere.”
Sure will.
States Where Barstool Sportsbook is Available
Currently, Barstool Bets is available in all states because it is simply an extension of the Barstool Sports website that offers free-to-play cash contests. Certainly, Barstool will benefit by being early to the party because this current format allows for the collection of e-mail addresses and other valuable user information.
Once Barstool Sportsbook’s switch was flipped to a fully operational sportsbook, they took advantage of Penn National Gaming’s already well-established presence across the legal sports betting landscape.
Barstool Sportsbook is currently available in the following states:
- Pennsylvania
- Michigan
- Illinois
- Indiana
Pennsylvania
Barstool Sportsbook is available in Pennsylvania is partnered with Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.
Read more about online sports betting in Pennsylvania.
Michigan
Legislation signed in December 2019 enabled the Michigan Gaming Control Board to bring sports betting to Michigan. Barstool Sportsbook is well-positioned in Michigan with Penn National Gaming’s Greektown Casino Hotel location in Detroit.
Read more about online sports betting in Michigan.
Illinois
Barstool Sportsbook is available in Illinois through a partnership with Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino Aurora. Those interested in online legal sports betting will need to visit the brick and mortar location at Hollywood Casino Aurora to complete the registration process for a new account.
Indiana
Barstool Sportsbook became available in Indiana via a partnership with Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg on May 18, 2021. In fact, bettors who visit Hollywood Casino can place bets and grab a bite to eat at the Barstool Sportsbook & Restaurant. The brick and mortar location is roughly 90 minutes from Indianapolis and 30 minutes from Cincinnati.
Read more about online sports betting in Indiana.
Coming Soon
In addition to the states above, it is expected that the rapid growth of both Penn National Gaming and Barstool Sports will bring the app to other states that are waiting to go legal. Those states include:
- Colorado
- West Virginia
- New Jersey
- Maryland
- Ohio
- Massachusetts
- Maine
Colorado
Colorado recently became the latest state to launch online sports betting, rapidly deploying a number of sportsbooks in May. Penn National Gaming has market access and is expected to bring Barstool Sportsbook to Colorado sometime in 2020.
Read more about CO online sports betting.
West Virginia
Legal online sports betting has been offered in West Virginia since September 2019, and Barstool Sportsbook is a good bet to launch there because of Penn National Gaming’s established presence within state limits. Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is a popular casino hotel located in the upper Shenandoah Valley and is also readily accessible from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Read more about WV online sports betting.
New Jersey
Penn National Gaming owns Freehold Raceway, but that location doesn’t currently take sports betting action. Although it’s less clear exactly how Barstool Sportsbook will launch in the Garden State, its launch remains a possibility.
Read more about NJ online sports betting.
Sports Offered
Barstool Sportsbook offers many of the same sports betting action as other big-time players. Those sports include:
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Darts
- Football
- Golf
- Hockey
- MMA and UFC
- Motor Sports
- Rugby
- Soccer
- Tennis
Barstool Sportsbook Deposit Methods
Barstool Sportsbook offers a plethora of deposit options to fund accounts, including:
- Online banking
- Credit Card
- eCheck
- PayNearMe
- Neteller
- Skrill
- PayPal
Is a Promo Code Needed for Barstool Sportsbook?
Barstool Sportsbook offers competitive (and lucrative) promotions that rival other top legal online sportsbooks, but for most a promo code is not required. Barstool Sportsbook promos will come in the form of industry-standard risk-free bets and/or deposit matches.
Barstool Sportsbook History
The power merger of Barstool Sports and Penn National Gaming has been more than 15 years in the making.
Founded in 2003 by Dave Portnoy, Barstool Sports was initially a weekly newspaper disseminated to public transit commuters in and around Boston. In its infancy, the paper had a heavy focus on fantasy sports and sports betting, and soon grew to also include commentary on items of public interest.
In 2007, Portnoy took Barstool Sports online, moving the content from a print tabloid handed out at Boston T stations to the internet. Soon after, Portnoy began hiring new writers that would grow the network in cities such as New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
Popular posts included commentary on sports, women, gambling, and pop culture items, helping to build a big enough following that Barstool soon began selling merchandise and hosting events.
In January 2016, Barstool Sports sold 51% majority stake of the company to The Chernin Group at a reported valuation near $15 million, prompting a move of its headquarters to New York City. In a subsequent restructuring, Portnoy maintained control of content, and former AOL CMO Erika Nardini was hired as CEO of Barstool.
That move, along with a 2018 court ruling that repealed the ban on United States sports gambling, each served as a precursor to the January 2020 sale of a 36% stake in Barstool Sports to Penn National Gaming. The reported deal was for a massive $163 million, meaning Barstool Sports’ current valuation currently sits in the neighborhood of $450 million.
Penn National Gaming parlayed its deal with the increasingly popular Barstool Sports to launch a sportsbook in four states. Barstool Sportsbook officially launched in Pennsylvania on September 18, 2021; Illinois on March 11, 2021; Michigan on January 22, 2021; and Indiana on May 18, 2021.
