Don’t look now, but we have Barstool launch news.
Unfortunately, it’s not the Barstool sports betting app.
As we detailed a few weeks ago, expect the app to launch in Colorado in the first quarter of 2021.
No, this Barstool launch news is about the retail sportsbook at the Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk.
One more week! The new @BSSportsbook will feature a 24 foot video wall, 13 betting kiosks, 29 HDTVs and drink specials! pic.twitter.com/tJe2u9HISD
— Ameristar Black Hawk (@AmeristarBH) October 29, 2020
The casino announced earlier this week that the retail shop would open on Thursday, Nov. 5.
As the tweet above notes, users can expect a 24-foot video wall, 13 betting kiosks, 29 HD TVs and drink specials at the sportsbook.
It’s a way for the Colorado sports betting market to get a feel for the product and service. It also gives us an indication of the kind of response the market will have for Barstool.
As it stands now, basically all of the $207.6 million September handle in Colorado is done via online and the 15 Colorado sportsbook betting apps. If Barstool is able to move the retail number even slightly, that may show us the app will be a major player in the Centennial State. There are currently 11 operators with mobile and in-person sportsbooks.
Of all September’s wagers, 98% were made online. That is a total of $203 million, or about the same from the 98.5% in August. No other major legal sports betting market has seen such a high percentage of its monthly handle generated online.
Can Barstool in PN tell us anything about CO?
As of now, Barstool is only live in Pennsylvania.
If we look at how the Barstool and Penn Gaming launch has gone there, it’s not far-fetched to imagine the same thing happening in Colorado.
The Barstool Sportsbook account tweeted on Thursday that its app in PA has generated a handle of $78 million in its first 37 days across 30,000 first-time depositors.
Yes, Pennsylvania is a more populated state than Colorado.
And in terms of the sports betting handle in September, the two states aren’t close.
- New Jersey: $748.5 million
- Nevada: $575 million
- Pennsylvania: $462.7 million
- Colorado: $207.6 million
- Indiana: $207.4 million
But the Colorado sports gambling market could see a similar, albeit miniaturized, response.
The ultimate hope for Barstool is that the retail sportsbook can build even more interest in the sports betting app.
And while users will have to wait a few more months before the app arrives, they can get a feel for what Barstool sports betting in CO is like with the retail shop.
