FanDuel Begins Three-Day Online Sportsbook Test Monday in Pennsylvania

Posted on: July 22, 2019, 05:21h. 

Last updated on: July 22, 2019, 05:21h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

FanDuel on Monday announced it would begin testing its online sports betting application in Pennsylvania, which would make it the latest company to go mobile in the Keystone State since May.

FanDuel’s online sportsbook is now being tested through Wednesday. The company already offers online sports betting in New Jersey. (Image: FanDuel)

The rollout is part of a partnership with Boyd Gaming. In March, FanDuel opened a retail sportsbook at the company’s Valley Forge Casino Resort in suburban Philadelphia.

Under the supervision of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), Monday, July 22 at 4 PM (ET) will mark the start of a three-day testing period for FanDuel’s mobile sports wagering app in the Keystone State,” FanDuel said in a release. “Sports fans in Pennsylvania can download the FanDuel Sportsbook app, sign up and place wagers during this testing period.”

According to the PGCB, testing will continue through 11:59 pm ET Monday. Testing will resume from 2 pm to 11:59 pm ET Tuesday and conclude Wednesday from noon to 11:59 pm ET.

A decision on proceeding will take place Wednesday, Kevin Hennessy, FanDuel’s director of publicity, told Casino.org.

Will Online Dominate in Pennsylvania?

FanDuel will be competing with the SugarHouse Casino, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, and Parx Casino. Both Rivers and Parx launched last month, while SugarHouse started in May.

In June, its first full month online, SugarHouse showed the potential mobile sports betting could have in the nation’s sixth most populous state.

The state’s eight brick-and-mortar sportsbooks took in slightly more than $27 million in bets for June, with a taxable gross revenue of nearly $1.7 million. FanDuel’s retail book handled nearly $2.3 million in wagers for June.

The SugarHouse online book received nearly $18.2 million in wagers for the month, that represented 39.2 percent of the state’s sports betting handle for June.

Online betting accounts for nearly 80 percent of the wagers placed in New Jersey’s sportsbooks, and FanDuel currently serves as the top online sportsbook in neighboring the Garden State.

While it did not start its online sportsbook in Pennsylvania as early as SugarHouse, Rivers, or Parx, one item FanDuel has in its favor is brand recognition. Because of its origins as a daily fantasy sports (DFS) company, FanDuel has made inroads already to thousands of sports fans in the state. According to the PGCB, FanDuel’s DFS games generated revenues of more than $101 million in fiscal year 2019, which ended last month.

FanDuel and Pennsylvania Continue Growth

FanDuel’s Pennsylvania online test comes on the heels of opening its newest retail sportsbook at Tioga Downs in Nichols, NY Friday. The 2,600-square-foot sportsbook features eight betting windows, 27 video screens, 14 self-service kiosks, and three tickers.

It also has announced plans to open two sportsbooks in Indiana once state officials approve regulations and allow casinos, racinos, and off-track betting parlors to begin taking sports bets. In addition, FanDuel also runs a retail sportsbook at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia.

While more sportsbooks are going online in Pennsylvania, the state is also starting to open up online casino gaming.

Hollywood Casino and Parx went online on July 15, and Parx followed on Wednesday. The state expects additional casinos to begin testing for online casinos in the near future.