A pivotal move toward expanding the options for Indiana bettors is happening soon. Two retail Barstool Indiana sportsbooks will open this week.
The newly branded brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at the two Penn National Gaming properties will start accepting in-person bets just before the holiday. A timeline for the online sportsbook launch remains uncertain.
Details on the Barstool Indiana sportsbooks
PNG operates the Ameristar East Chicago and the Hollywood Lawrenceburg casinos. According to a press release, the re-branded retail book at the Hollywood Lawrenceburg opens Wednesday, Dec. 23.
The sportsbook at the Ameristar opens under the Barstool banner the following day. The amenities available at the brick-and-mortar sportsbooks remain the same, including multiple viewing screens and dining options.
Rafael Verde, senior vice president of regional operations for Penn National stated,
“We are very excited to be opening our newly branded Barstool Sportsbooks. The new designs incorporate the spirit of the Barstool Sports brand, resulting in unique sports wagering and dining experiences that we expect our customers will thoroughly enjoy.”
In addition to enjoying the amenities, bettors who participate in PNG’s myChoice program will earn tier points for placing bets at both/either book. This is now the second state to offer a Barstool Sportsbook, with the first opening in Pennsylvania.
Michigan will keep right in step. PNG plans to open a Barstool Sportbook at the Greektown Casino in Detroit on Wednesday as well. However, the details on the online product remain scant.
So what about the online sportsbook?
The press releases didn’t contain any new information about online wagering. Barstool and PNG have been pretty non-committal in Indiana.
The companies, so far, have only confirmed that the time frame is 2021. Barstool plans to go live in all states with legal sports betting by the end of next year. For that reason, it’s uncertain whether the Hoosier State is a top priority.
One of the things that might move Indiana up the list is its proximity to Chicago. If Barstool can’t get directly into Illinois, then launching online in Indiana would be the next best thing.
The same thing goes if there are delays in getting online sports betting up and running in Michigan. While Barstool may not be the only new online operator in Indiana in 2021, it could have the strongest following of the new brands.
Getting the retail books up and running is a big step toward going live online in the Hoosier State. As of this week, that’s going to be one thing PNG can cross off its list.
