Two more online sportsbooks are about to enter the Virginia sports betting market.
At the most recent Virginia Lottery Board meeting in July, an update on operators indicated that Barstool Sportsbook and Golden Nugget would launch in mid-August. A third approved sportsbook, Bally Bet, has not set a date to go live for VA gambling.
The three operators were approved by the Virginia Lottery in March.
During an earnings call Thursday, Penn National Gaming president and chief executive officer Jay Snowden said Barstool Sportsbook would be launching in Virginia this fall, likely in time for the NFL season that begins Sept. 9. Penn National owns a 36% stake in Barstool.
Snowden also cited Arizona, New Jersey Colorado and Tennessee as states where Barstool Sportsbook would launch in the fall.
Penn National released its second-quarter earnings Thursday following the acquisition of Toronto-based theScore for $2 billion. Snowden said the company plans to double the number of states Barstool Sportsbook is live in for the NFL season, saying the target is 10 states by the end of the year.
Barstool is currently live in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana
NEXT WEEK. #BarstoolSportsbook pic.twitter.com/iRL2TkJPE8
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 6, 2021
Unibet Last Sportsbook to Launch in VA
Unibet launched in Virginia on April 28. That was the last online sportsbook to go live.
It joined six others in the market. FanDuel Sportsbook was the first to launch because of its partnership with the Washington Football Team. DraftKings Sportsbook, BetMGM Sportsbook, Caesars, BetRivers and WynnBET are the others.
Ten Operators Approved by VA Lottery
With the addition of Barstool, Golden Nugget and Bally Bet, 10 operators would be live in Virginia. The state law originally said that 12 licenses would be available, but a new law that took effect on July 1 boosted the number, saying that five casinos planned in the state would not be a part of the original 12 licenses.
Virginia posted about $235 million in June total handle, up 3.5% from May, according to the Virginia Lottery, which released the latest figures on July 30. The Virginia sports betting market is currently all online as it waits for five planned casinos in the state to be built.
