Barstool App Revamp Could Help Compete For CO Online Casinos
Parent company PENN Entertainment announced a sizeable upgrade of the Barstool Sportsbook app. Months in the making, the upgrade went live in all 16 US jurisdictions where Barstool Sportsbook is live, including the Colorado sports betting market.
What brought about the change?
The Barstool CO Sportsbook redesign is the headline change in a long-term project to bring PENN’s businesses and technology under one roof. According to the announcement, Barstool Sportsbook is now on the PENN Interactive Gaming Platform, which gives the company more flexibility to customize and manage its sportsbook.
Jay Snowden, PENN Entertainment CEO, and President, said:
“Migrating onto our proprietary technology platform and introducing a fully upgraded Barstool Sportsbook is a milestone achievement,” said Jay Snowden, CEO and President of PENN Entertainment. “Having full control of our product and roadmap will lead to improved operational efficiency and the ability to quickly introduce new features, bespoke promotions and wagering markets. I want to congratulate our Interactive team members who worked tirelessly to ensure a successful on schedule migration, which better positions us to compete in the online gaming space.”
I took some time to check out the new app. Below, I take a look at how it is from a user perspective. But first, let’s dive into why Barstool might have revamped its app in Colorado.
Possible prep for the online casino revolution?
For the first time in a few years, rumblings of Colorado online casinos have resurfaced. The state’s Executive Director of the Department of Revenue recently said talks of legalizing Colorado online casinos are now a possibility.
Colorado has more than 30 retail casinos in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. In other words, there are plenty of properties that would look to snag a license. Barstool has some experience running its online casino in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The recent upgrades to its sportsbook app could set the stage for further growth in the Centennial State, should online casinos become legal.
CO sportsbooks dropping like flies while Barstool rises
Barstool’s upgraded app launches during a time of turmoil for Colorado sports betting. Maverick and Sky Ute Sportsbooksrecently closed up shop, following Elite’s shutdown in 2022. PlayUp, after a string of troubles—chief among them ties to FTX—is shuttering and selling its US operations to an undisclosed buyer.
All of this comes from Colorado, a state with one of the lowest sports betting tax rates. That could change if CO were to follow in the shoes of Ohio and raise the sports betting tax. But right now Colorado is fairly friendly to operators. Still, it’s expensive to run a sportsbook, and it’s hard to compete with names like DraftKings and FanDuel. Barstool seems ready to do just that, however, with its redesign.
A brief look inside the new Barstool Sportsbook
PENN flaunted numerous changes to the Barstool Sportsbook app, many of which are evident from just a few minutes of the update. Others will require some time to come to fruition, thanks in large part to summer being relatively slow for major sports. Among the key changes, Barstool Colorado promises are:
- Faster and more streamlined in-app navigation
- Expanded wagering markets, particularly for in-game and player prop bets
- Faster load times, deposits, and payouts
From that list, the first change is the most readily transparent. I spent about 30 minutes fiddling with the app, and I was frankly stunned by how fast and easy it is. The only time I saw a load screen was when I made a deposit, and even then it was only up for a few seconds. Every other page I visited loaded almost instantly. It made the whole app feel much more polished than its previous iteration.
As for the added wagering markets, I didn’t notice all that much, but chalk it up to the lack of sports currently in season. By my own admission, I know very little about MLB betting. Still, there seemed to be plenty of markets on offer for today’s baseball games.
The Barstool Exclusive page had two special bets available. The first was a “Bombs Away” wager: +190 odds for the Yankees, Astros, and Mariners each to hit a home run. The second was “Hit Parade,” +220 on Marcus Semien, Nolan Arenado, and Alex Bregman each to record a hit.
I imagine this section will only get better as time goes on, especially when other major leagues like the NBA and NFL return this fall.
Generally speaking, the update looks really promising. I look forward to seeing what else Barstool Sportsbook improves and which special bets will surface when other sports return.
theScore crosses over
theScore is also under the PENN Entertainment umbrella. You can access theScore app via your Barstool Sportsbook login credentials. The upgrade also brings new functionality that crosses between theScore and Barstool. Namely, you can now build bet slips within theScore. Once you’re ready to place your wager, you can head back to the Barstool Sportsbook app and place the bet. Then, when the games are in progress, you can track your wagers within theScore.
How you can access the upgraded app
How you access the newly upgraded Barstool Sportsbook app depends on whether you already have it downloaded.
If you have the Barstool Colorado Sportsbook on your mobile device already, check to see if you have the latest version. Automatic updates may have already downloaded the upgrade for you. If not, you can head to the App Store or Google Play and get the latest version.
New users can head straight to the iOS App Store or Google Play Store and download the Barstool Sportsbook app. Never created an account before? It’s simple to do!
Existing user accounts and balances are 100% secure through the migration, according to PENN.
