Barstool Sportsbook: A Complete How-to Guide

Born out of the Penn Gaming acquisition of Barstool Sports in 2020, Barstool Sportsbook is a major player in legalized sports betting in the United States. With the industry’s biggest personalities driving engagement around the brand, strong promo offers to attract customers and a very decent user experience on its app, Barstool Sportsbook has major staying power in the ultra-competitive world of legal, regulated U.S. sports betting.

Barstool Sportsbook Key Points

• Very good app that is professional, but doesn’t take itself too seriously.
• Don’t have to be a fan of Barstool Sports content and personalities to use the app.
• Good exclusive odds boosts and other offers.

Barstool Sportsbook

States: OH, MD, LA, CO, IL, IN, MI, NJ, PA, VA, TN, AZ, IA, WV

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Take advantage of the Barstool Sportsbook $1,000 bet insurance bonus.

How do you get started on Barstool Sportsbook?

Getting started is pretty simple and intuitive for new bettors. You can follow these steps:

1. First, you’ll want to locate a great promo to use. If you are unsure, click here to use the $1,000 bet promotion.
2. Create your account on the Barstool system. When creating your account, you’ll need your name, address, phone number, email address, user name and last four digits of your social security number. Note that the system will let you signup no matter where you are (if you’re 21), but you must be within a legal state (see below) in order to play.
3. Download the app from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play store, and then log in.
4. Start playing.

It is easy to create an account. You do not have to make a deposit to create or maintain an account. And there are no fees to maintain an account. However, if you want to make a wager, you will need to add funds to your wallet on your Barstool Sportsbook account.

Deposit Methods

You can deposit to your account using a debit or credit card in most states (Tennessee and Iowa only permit debit cards). The cards accepted include Visa, Mastercard and Discover. When you make a deposit with a debit or credit card, the funds are instantly available in your account. Note that some card issuers may block or prevent a transaction related to gaming, so if you run into this issue, consider a different card or payment method.

You can use an online banking account to deposit to your account. Within the app, you select the amount of your deposit, then select your bank, sign into your bank and choose the account you with to use. Once this transaction occurs, the funds are instantly available in your account.

Some users also prefer to use PayPal to deposit into their Barstool Sportsbook account. Note that for this to work, the email address on your PayPal account must match the email address on your Barstool Sportsbook account. Go ahead and double check this before attempting a transaction, so you can avoid frustration.

Can you deposit cryptocurrency into Barstool Sportsbook?

If you are in Colorado or Virginia, you can deposit cryptocurrency to fund your Barstool Sportsbook account. Before you are able to do this, you will have to have a government ID verified on your account. Barstool utilizes a third-party provider to perform the exchange from cryptocurrency to U.S. dollars within your gaming account. Cryptocurrencies that are supported include Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin and DASH cryptocurrencies. Barstool Sportsbook does not support cryptocurrency withdrawals (only deposits).

Where is Barstool Sportsbook live?

The Barstool Sportsbook app is currently available in 13 states with more on the way. However, you can download the app, signup, deposit, withdrawal and check history of your bets no matter where you are in the United States. In order to make a wager, you must be within one of the legal states as listed below.

If you are in one of the following states, you can make wagers:

• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey
• Virginia
• Colorado
• Michigan
• Indiana
• West Virginia
• Iowa
• Tennessee
• Louisiana
• Arizona
• Illinois
• Kansas
• Ohio (expected Jan 1, 2023)
• Massachusetts (expected late 2022 or early 2023)

Pennsylvania

Barstool went live with its sportsbook in Pennsylvania on September 18, 2020. The company has had a major presence in Pennsylvania since the launch.

New Jersey

While not an original entrant into the New Jersey sports betting market, Barstool Sportsbook has been live in the Garden State since August 24, 2021.

Virginia

Barstool Sportsbook has been live in Virginia since August 10, 2021.

Colorado

Similar to the Virginia launch, Barstool launched its sportsbook officially in Colorado on August 8, 2021.

Michigan

Barstool entered the Michigan sports betting market alongside the first group of approved operators in the state on January 22, 2021

Indiana

On May 18, 2021, Barstool launched both retail and online betting in the Hoosier State.

West Virginia

While West Virginia online sports betting had been live for some time, Barstool entered the market with its sportsbook on November 22, 2021.

Iowa

Barstool went live in Iowa on November 2, 2021.

Tennessee

Vols fans were able to begin making legal bets via the Barstool sportsbook app on September 8, 2021. Learn more about Tennessee online sports betting.

Louisiana

Barstool was in on the action when sports betting went live and legal in Louisiana on January 28, 2022.

Arizona

When the state of Arizona opened up, Barstool’s sportsbook went live on September 9, 2021.

Illinois

Barstool opened the doors to its mobile sportsbook app on May 13, 2021 in Illinois.

Kansas

The state of Kansas was open for mobile sports betting on September 1, 2022, and Barstool was among the operators to go live. Learn more about Kansas online sports betting.

Will Barstool Sportsbook be live in Ohio?

Barstool will be one of the operators that goes live when the state of Ohio officially launches on January 1, 2023. Learn more about online sports betting and the Barstool Sportsbook app coming to Ohio.

Will Barstool Sportsbook be live in Massachusetts?

Sports betting is expected to go live in Massachussetts some time in late 2022 or early 2023. Barstool Sportsbook is expected to be one of the operators when the state goes live.

Is Barstool Sportsbook live in New York?

Barstool did not get into the New York sports betting market when it opened its doors in the beginning of 2022. A number of sportsbooks did not win bids for licenses to open their doors for the lucrative New York market. The New York sports betting market is tricky because of the super high tax rate which sportsbook operators must pay to the state. It is possible that as the betting market matures in New York, both the tax rate may be adjusted and more operators will enter the market (likely including Barstool).

Barstool Sportsbook App

While Barstool has been known for years for its raucous and humorous personalities, don’t let its social media presence and content fool you. The Barstool app is for real. With the backing of the resources and technology of Penn, the Barstool app is an elevated product touting an easy-to-use interface. Usability is key to breeding loyalty among sports bettors in this competitive environment.

At its core, the app doesn’t strive to be the flashiest in terms of visuals compared to the competition. You’ll notice the straight-forward red, white and blue color scheme synonymous with the Barstool brand throughout the sportsbook app.

Features such as sliders that allow you to adjust a line might seem trivial, but it’s these minor elements that can make or break the user experience for regular bettors. The presence of additional information such as recent records, over/under records and previous head-to-head matchups add to the experience. Barstool Sportsbook does a nice job of striking the balance between offering extra data points at a glance to the user without overwhelming and overcomplicating the experience.

Worth noting is the reliability and stability of the app. While other sportsbook apps have a history of outages, freezing up and crashing on users, we have had no such experience with the Barstool app.

The Barstool Sportsbook app runs on technology from Kambi which is a global provider of sports betting technology and services. Kambi provides technology and white label products to a number of operators around the globe including Penn Entertainment / Barstool Sportsbook, Rush Street Interactive and Unibet. DraftKings was a previous partner with Kambi before migrating off of Kambi technology and leveraging in-house proprietary technology. Barstool Sportsbook has indicated that they plan to follow a similar path as DraftKings and develop its own proprietary backend and technology for its products in the future. Undoubtedly this future will likely be one where the technology through its theScore acquisition will be leveraged into future Barstool Sportsbook products.

It’s also worth noting that the technology backing the Barstool Sportsbook app’s Player Account Management (PAM) platform will likely be migrating to theScore technology in the future as well. Currently, Barstool runs the PAM functionality such as cashier, payment provider integration, bonus engine and player database through its White Hat Gaming partnership. White Hat Gaming is a Malta-based third party that provides player account management functionality to the iGaming industry.

How will these platform changes affect the Barstool Sportsbook app for users? In most scenarios moving forward, users won’t even know what is going on behind the scenes. However, internally at Penn and at Barstool, these kind of changes can always lead to stressful transitions. Clearly, Penn and Barstool see bringing in more or all of the key functionality of their app in-house as an important strategic direction even if the transition is painful at times. Note that these types of transitions are not imminent and are likely part of a multi-year product road map for the company.

Shareable Betslip

The betslip is the electronic ticket that houses all of your bet information. You can see the bet details and view the estimated payout should your bets hit. Barstool offers a shareable betslip feature in which users can share on social media the bets they have made. When Barstool personalities such as Dave Portnoy share their betslip, it often comes with a link where followers can do a one-click on the link and it will populate their own bet slip with the same bets.

I said I would only share bet slips of games I truly love. I’m 1-0 on #gamesItrulylove. Bet at your own discretion. Click on link to add to your card . #BarstoolSportsbook https://t.co/mwqB9zyjQs pic.twitter.com/o1cS1cs5E1

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 10, 2021

The Barstool Sportsbook interface allows you to toggle on and off how much you’re betting as part of the shareable slip feature. So, you can share your bets without sharing the amount of money you’re betting if you prefer.

Promos Offered

Barstool Sportsbook offers a variety of promos to attract new users to its platform.

The bet insurance bonus

Barstool commonly offers a $1,000 bet insurance to new users. While you can occasionally see bonus bets offered to both new and existing users depending on the sportsbook and circumstances, Barstool typically only offers this Barstool sportsbook promo code to new users of the app.

The $1,000 bet insurance means that when a new user registers for the app, the user’s first bet will be refunded in the event that it loses, up to $1,000. Then, you will be able to use that refunded amount to make other bets, not necessarily withdraw from the app back to your account.

Odds boosts

Odds boosts are a popular way to grab attention during major sporting events, and Barstool Sportsbook is no stranger to this type of promo. What makes Barstool unique is that the company will leverage its popular personalities such as Dave Portnoy and Big Cat to gain mass attention via social media and podcast platforms.

An odds boost refers to when a sportsbook increases the payout on a certain type of bet for a game. This might include a point spread, a total over/under bet or even a certain player or team prop bet. These types of bets can be extreme and presented as no-brainer opportunities to new users.

Bet or Wager Insurance

Even the most expert speculator on sporting events can be susceptible to bad beats. Whether its a fluky play that blows a lead at the last second or a bad call by a referee, sportsbooks sometimes offer various types of bet insurance.

Sometimes bet or wager insurance promotions are positioned quite similarly to bonus bets, where you will be refunded your loss in the event your first bet loses.

Parlay insurance is a popular form of insurance promos at sportsbooks. How this usually works is that you’ll get your parlay bet refunded if you hit every leg of the parlay except one. Common stipulations around this scenario is that there will be a minimum number of legs you must bet, and there will be a limit to the size of the bet and refund. Same-game parlays are very popular today, so you will often see same-game parlay insurance promotions.

Barstool Sportsbook

States: OH, MD, LA, CO, IL, IN, MI, NJ, PA, VA, TN, AZ, IA, WV

GET THE APP

CODE: SOUTH1000

CODE: SOUTH1000

SIGN-UP BONUS

$1,000

BET INSURANCE

BET NOW

Take advantage of the Barstool Sportsbook $1,000 bet insurance.

Merchandise Promotions

Barstool has a long history with products and merchandise through its Barstool media properties and personalities. As such it makes sense that the company would leverage its vast product experience and inventory and combine with various player promotions within its Barstool Sportsbook app.

For example, recently Barstool Sportsbook was giving away a “Philly Special” hat to users if they bet a minimum of $50 on various slots games within the app as well as $50 on a Philadelphia Eagles NFL game. This was available to users in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. See screenshot below:

Barstool Sportsbook Rewards Program

Penn has opted to integrate Barstool Sportsbook into their mychocie rewards program to attack rewards in an omni-channel manner. By combining the rewards with the online Barstool Sportsbook website and app with brick-and-mortar casinos, Penn is hoping to build loyalty both in person and online.

The mychoice loyalty program has a number of tiers based on how many points you earn with betting activity. As you climb the tiers, the program offers more benefits. Generally speaking, you earn 1 tier point for every $10 bet on the Barstool Sportsbook app and 1 tier point for every $5 parlay bet. Tier points are awarded once the bets are settled.

Barstool Online Casino

Barstool’s online casino functionality is built right into the Barstool Sportsbook app, but only users currently in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan or West Virginia can play the Barstool online casino. Despite the fact that U.S. states have been slower to legalize online casino as compared to online sports betting, the major sportsbook operators including Barstool are eager to convert users into their casino offerings. Historically, casino revenues dwarf sports betting revenues for the major gaming and casino operators.

Penn and Barstool have been investing heavily into the Barstool online casino offering. Because many of the online casino operators offer a number of popular casino games through their app that are provided by third party providers such as Scientific Games, IGT and Evolution, the reality is that a lot of games are the same across operators. For example, the popular “Cats” slots game is essentially identical whether you’re playing through the FanDuel online app or the Barstool online casino app.

As such, operators are desperate to differentiate with proprietary offerings. For Barstool, this means leaning into their popular content franchises as possible casino game brands. “One Bite Slots” leverages the popular Dave Portnoy “One Bite” pizza review videos he’s been doing for years on social media. “Pardon My Take Slots” leverages the popular podcast brand that is part of the Barstool podcast family. See screenshots below.

Penn continues to invest in the Barstool casino online offering through its acquisitions of HitPoint and LuckyPoint in 2021. Through its acquisitions, Penn has formed Penn Game Studios within its Penn Interactive group to lead the charge forward in online game development so that Barstool Sportsbook and Casino has a clear and differentiated product offering in the competitive online casino market.

It’s common to see sportsbooks develop a proprietary blackjack offering first as a differentiating element in their online casino offering, and this was true for Barstool Sportsbook as well. Barstool Blackjack was the first proprietary game developed in-house at Barstool.

Additionally, live dealer games are a priority as some online bettors find this a more “trustworthy” gaming experience. Barstool partners with Evolution with live online casino studios dedicated for the Barstool online casino offering. Evolution is a leading provider of live casino offerings to operators.

Barstool Sportsbook History

Penn Entertainment (previously known as Penn National Gaming) acquired a 36% stake in Barstool Sports in 2020 with an option to buy the entire company at a later date. According to an SEC filing on August 17, 2022, Penn exercised its rights to fully acquire 100% of the Barstool Sports company, paying over $550 million of the multi-year period to acquire the company in totality.

The company has leveraged the Barstool brand not only for its online betting app, but also brick-and-mortar locations in Penn-owned casinos.

Penn also acquired Score Media and Gaming in October 2021 which has a major foothold in Canada.

Robby Sabo

Robby Sabo is a co-founder, developer and credentialed New York Jets content creator for Jets X-Factor | Jet X, which includes Sabo's Sessions (in-depth film breakdowns) and Sabo with the Jets. Host: Underdog Jets Podcast with Wayne Chrebet and Sabo Radio. Member: Pro Football Writers of America. Coach: Port Jervis (NY) High School. Washed up strong safety and 400M runner. Founder: Elite Sports NY - ESNY (sold in 2020). SEO: XLM