• Loading stock data...
Sunday, October 26, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here
exclusive
Sports Betting

Barstool Sports Launches Sportsbook, Confident Fans Will Follow

  • Barstool Sports executives Dave Portnoy and Erika Nardini are confident their audience will flock to the sportsbook in the sports betting arms race for users and loyalty.
  • The Barstool Sportsbook app launched in Pennsylvania on Sept. 18. The state had an all-time high of $365 million wagered on sports for August.
Dave Portnoy Erika Nardini
Barstool Sports

As the Barstool Sportsbook launches into an increasingly crowded spots betting segment, Barstool Sports’ top executives — President Dave Portnoy and Chief Executive Officer Erika Nardini — are confident they’ll survive whatever shakeout there might be.

There’s one reason for that confidence: Barstool’s fervent following. In the company’s 17-year history, it has supported whatever the company releases — like a pink lemonade vodka — or followed the media company’s personalities in whatever they do — like Portnoy’s foray into day trading when sports shut down earlier this year. It’s not just positive support for the products, the fans are also vehement defenders of the organization and its personalities when they find themselves in a controversial position — going so far as to use social media to attack those who speak against the brand.

So while other betting companies enter major partnerships with media companies, like PointsBet did recently with NBC, Barstool could ride the wave it has already built.

“That’s our biggest advantage,” Portnoy said. “We are going to sort of sit on the sidelines in an advertising bonanza and this race to the bottom. There is no doubt in my mind we’ll be one that makes it because we have a firm, long-standing fanbase.”

“In a weird way, it’s letting everyone else beat up on each other while we do our thing. That helps us,” he added.

That mentality is exactly what Penn National Gaming was looking for when it purchased 36% of Barstool earlier this year in a deal that valued the company at $450 million.

The casino company was on the forefront of a growing trend of sports betting operators partnering with “influencers” to capture new market share and gain consumer loyalty. Penn National’s stock price is up more than 150% since the deal in January.

There’s still plenty of market to be gobbled up by operators. The Barstool Sportsbook app launched in Pennsylvania on Sept. 18. The state had an all-time high of $365 million wagered on sports for August. New Jersey set a U.S. record with $668 million bet in August.

Nardini said the difference in sportsbooks currently is the marketing, and with Barstool Sportsbooks on the name plates for Penn National, that’s where they’ll separate.

NBC Sports

PointsBet, NBCUniversal Enter 5-Year Sports Betting Partnership

As PointsBet looks to capture 10% or more of the U.S. sports…
August 28, 2020

“The sports betting partnerships with media companies, those center around TV, those audiences are old and the partnerships are stale in terms of the format and expression of the brand,” she said. “We have a brand putting it on the book itself. In our case, our content is the marketing. The way we talk to our fans, the way we connect. The way we make things fun. We have an appeal to the 21-plus audience in a way no one else has.”

Sports betting operators are in a race to capture the most audience, so for Penn National to bring in Barstool could be an automatic connection to a significant customer base. While sports betting can be profitable, it’s also a low-margin business, so the more than 20 operators in a state like New Jersey will likely thin out, said Dan Etna, co-chair of the sports law practice at law firm Herrick Feinstein.

“You have to be mindful of how you operate and there are economies of scale to achieve,” Etna said. “[These operators] realize it’s important to garner as much market share and customer allegiance as they can.”

Barstool has a self-reported 66 million user reach and says that approximately 62% of them bet on sports. While Barstool fans generally pick up what the company’s voices say, Portnoy acknowledges this endeavor could be different. He accepts some bettors will look around for the best price or the best line. 

For most of the fans, however, it’ll likely be like when Portnoy quadrupled the trading volume of an airline exchange-traded fund or when Dan “Big Cat” Katz drew hundreds of thousands of Twitch viewers while streaming NCAA Football ’14 during the pandemic lockdown.

“Barstool is a lifestyle brand as much as it is a media brand,” Nardini said. “That’s a luxury. In this [sports betting] space, customers don’t care. But they care about us. That’s what is so different.”

Colts
exclusive

Q&A: theScore’s John Levy on Indiana Launch & Betting Landscape

“What we’re seeing in terms of engagement on the app and in…
September 17, 2020

She’s also optimistic the reverse will happen as well: people who bet at the sportsbook will fall into the Barstool hemisphere. 

“In most cases, when someone runs into our content, something about it grabs them,” Nardini said. “The technology will not be what wins or loses. The differentiator will be the way these guys make their picks and talk about the futures and based on what they talk about.”

Both Nardini and Portnoy declined to speak to how the sportsbooks will affect the bottom line at Barstool, explaining that funnels through Penn National’s ownership. They also declined to speak to future state rollout plans, but Nardini said multiple should be launched in the next year.

While Portnoy spent some time in Pittsburgh early during launch week and is generally optimistic about the launch, he knows it won’t be all good. 

“We’ll exceed the goals Penn [National] was hoping for in signups and downloads,” he said. “But there will be hiccups. I’m looking at competitors and they’re having outages and they’ve been doing it a long time. One of the challenges and beauties in doing things with us: no one launches like we do.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Adam Silver

Congress Wants to Hear from Adam Silver on Gambling Scandal This Week

Silver said he was “deeply disturbed” by the arrests.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.
exclusive

Some ESPN Producers Fed Up With McAfee’s ‘Diva’ Behavior: Sources

The “College GameDay” host has powerful allies.

Featured Today

Christie's

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
October 18, 2025

How Vanderbilt Went From SEC Doormat to Dark Horse CFP Candidate

After beating LSU, Clark Lea said: “Internally, we expect to win.”
May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) shoots a three point basket over New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
October 18, 2025

NBA Stars Swap Wine With League Friends and Foes

A wine-exchange tradition emerged from the bubble season’s close quarters.
Mar 5, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The NBA logo is seen on the court before thegame between the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden.

The History of Hoops Betting Scandals

The arrests of Rozier and Billups are just the latest scandal involving basketball.
draftkings
exclusive
October 22, 2025

DraftKings Is Paying Up to $250M for Prediction-Market Railbird

The deal was announced Tuesday, but financials weren’t disclosed.
October 23, 2025

Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups Arrested in FBI Gambling Probes

The Billups arrest was tied to an illegal Mafia poker operation.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

Fans can now follow their favorite golfers and experience every marquee moment at the Ryder Cup — thanks to innovation from T-Mobile.
Sports are shown on TVs behind a bar as guests enjoy the grand opening of DraftKings Sports & Social in Ohio.
October 21, 2025

DraftKings Buys Prediction-Markets Platform but No Sports Just Yet

Front Office Sports reported DraftKings was in talks to buy Railbird in August.
Jenny Just
October 13, 2025

Austin FC Co-Owner: Teach Your Daughters to Play Poker

She calls poker a “mind sport” like chess that teaches important life skills.
Inside NCAA Headquarters located in Indianapolis on Friday, March 10, 2023. Ncaa President Charlie Baker
October 8, 2025

NCAA Approves Plan to Let D-I College Athletes Bet on Pro Sports

The proposal still needs to be approved by D-II and D-III committees.
NYSE
October 7, 2025

NYSE Owner Pours $2B Into Polymarket at $8B Valuation

Prediction markets keep pushing further into the mainstream.