Barstool Sportsbook Announces Tuesday Launch in Virginia
Barstool Sportsbook will be the next sports betting operator to launch in Virginia.
Officials recently announced plans for a launch on Tuesday, Aug. 10. As part of the announcement, the Penn National Gaming property also confirmed a Monday debut in the state of Colorado.
Once the Barstool mobile app is live here, it’ll become the eighth Virginia sportsbook that’s taking sports bets in Old Dominion. In fact, it’s the first VA sportsbook launch in more than three months.
Sports bettors have long known that Barstool would launch in Virginia. However, the date had remained a bit of mystery until now.
Barstool Sportsbook launches in Virginia – finally!
When sports betting officially launched in Virginia earlier this year, a flurry of sportsbooks debuted and began to fight for market share.
However, Barstool sat on the sidelines.
After FanDuel launched on Jan. 21 as the first-to-market operator, DraftKings, BetMGM, and BetRivers also launched by the end of January. William Hill (now Caesars) launched in February, WynnBET debuted in March, and Unibet Sports joined the fray in April.
The Virginia Lottery, which oversees legal and regulated sports betting in VA, actually issued a permit to Penn Sports Interactive, LLC (Barstool) on March 15. However, like Golden Nugget and Bally Bet, which also received permits on that date, Barstool had sat idle.
Sportsbook | Permit approval date | Launch date |
---|---|---|
FanDuel | 1/20/2021 | 1/21/2021 |
DraftKings | 1/24/2021 | 1/24/2021 |
BetMGM | 1/24/2021 | 1/27/2021 |
BetRivers | 1/26/2021 | 1/27/2021 |
Caesars (formerly William Hill) | 1/27/2021 | 2/2/2021 |
WynnBET | 3/4/2021 | 3/11/2021 |
Unibet | 4/21/2021 | 4/28/2021 |
Barstool | 3/15/2021 | 8/10/2021 |
Golden Nugget | 3/15/2021 | 10/13/2021 |
Bally Bet | 3/15/2021 | 11/24/2021 |
PointsBet | 11/22/2021 | 12/15/2021 |
Hard Rock | 3/31/2024 | 3/31/2024 |
Betway | 11/24/2021 | Q2 2024 |
SI Sportsbook | 11/25/2021 | Q2 2024 |
Over the past few months, Barstool officials had hinted that the company planned to launch in Virginia in time for the fall. After all, that’s when the NFL and NCAA college football seasons take place, and they’re among the most popular offerings in sports betting.
With the Aug. 10 debut, Barstool will have plenty of time to woo potential new customers with sign-up offers and bonuses, among other perks, before the football season kicks off.
Sports betting at Barstool Virginia
Barstool Sportsbook is an extension of the Barstool brand. Charismatic, if not controversial, founder David Portnoy launched the print publication in 2003. Since then, it’s become a digital sports media powerhouse, with a devoted fan base of “Stoolies.”
After Penn National purchased a large stake of the company in 2020, Barstool Sportsbook launched in Pennsylvania later that year.
In addition to PA and CO, the sportsbook is also now live in Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. Like Virginia, they’re all among the most popular US states for legal sports betting.
Of course, with seven sportsbooks already taking wagers in the commonwealth, Barstool has a tough climb ahead. The sportsbooks that launched first in Virginia have already gobbled up substantial market share. The list includes FanDuel (49.5% market share through June), DraftKings (25.4%) and BetMGM (16.4%). Those three sportsbooks have processed more than 90% off all legal sports wagers in Virginia.
So, what can Virginia sports bettors expect with Barstool VA? The mobile sports betting application features all of the top sports leagues, teams, and events to wager on. Barstool is also known for a wide array of betting promos and special wagering markets.
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Play Virginia for some Virginia-specific Barstool offers following the official launch on Tuesday.