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FanDuel Sportsbook Officially Launches in Pennsylvania
By Kyle Scott
Published:
FanDuel Sportsbook PA is now fully live, meaning you can bet in Pennsylvania on iOS, Android and the web. They become the fourth PA sports betting site to offer online betting.
This is a full launch, making FanDuel the first sportsbook in PA to be available on all major platforms.
Betting with no caveats
Each of the PA launches so far have not been without their issues. SugarHouse Sportsbook and sister site Bet Rivers found a way to offer iOS betting, but it does require a mobile web workaround for the time being.
Parx is not available at all on iOS.
But FanDuel Sportsbook not only got into the App Store– they did it using the same app that’s available in New Jersey. This might not seem like a big deal, but thus far the thinking has been that sportsbooks would have to offer different state-based apps due to regulation. FanDuel Sportsbook in PA is different. The app will just recognize which state you are in and serve you a custom, pre-approved version for that state. There’s effectively no difference, though in PA FanDuel will have to abide by Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board regulations, which can occasionally vary.
There’s also no branding confusion. In Pennsylvania, mobile betting partners are supposed to take on the branding on their casino partner. This isn’t a problem with the likes of SugarHouse and Parx (which are the casinos themselves), but FanDuel is partnered with Valley Forge Casino Resort and had pitched an app to the PGCB with the latter branding the app. No so in the live version:
That’s FanDuel Sportsbook.
Advertising blast
FanDuel will enter Pennsylvania with a full ad blitz over the coming weeks and months. Deep pocketed and well-armed thanks to 61% ownership by BetFair, FanDuel has already been spending in the market. In fact, they did it last year– running ads in Philly even when only one side of the city could bet.
Local sports media executives will tell you that the mobile sportsbook ad spend is so massive it makes up a disproportionate amount of their current ad revenue.
The figure might grow
FanDuel Sportsbook has already been running ads on 97.5 The Fanatic as the headline sponsor of FanFest. That’s no an accident, with the event occurring just two weeks before the start of football season.
Expect a lot more of this now that FanDuel is officially in the PA market.
What’s next?
We have a lot more on our page about PA online sports betting, but the big question pertains to DraftKings Sportsbook coming to PA. It’s no secret they want to get in the market, and there are some rumors they might be here by football season. But as of yet they don’t have a casino partner.
As one of the two runway leaders in New Jersey along with DraftKings, FanDuel is set to quickly take the lead in PA. The question will be for how long they remain unchallenged on iOS… and from the other major brand.
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.