Lawrenceburg’s Hollywood Casino in Indiana, which is located just 30 minutes from Cincinnati, recently launched a $2.4 million expansion of its Barstool Sportsbook. The expansion comes with added slot machines, table games, and new dining options.
Barstool Sportsbook first launched in September 2020, after Penn National Gaming bought a 36% stake in the sports media giant “Barstool Sports” back in January 2020. Since the launch of the book, Barstool Sportsbook is now legal online in 12 states and has six brick-and-mortar locations.
Mike Galle, vice president and general manager of Penn National Gaming Inc.’s Dearborn County property, said:
“The regulations in Ohio aren’t developed. So, I don’t know completely what I’m up against. We know there’s going to be additional competition but we’re combating that with more of an experience, leveraging our player’s card, leveraging our property, leveraging additional gaming options that those other facilities won’t be able to offer.”
Ohio sports betting scheduled to launch by Jan. 1, 2023
The revamped sportsbook at the Hollywood Casino all comes as an attempt to lock in customer loyalty as Ohio sports betting plans heat up. It’s believed that the Ohio Lottery will also set up sports betting kiosks throughout the state – as many as 2,500 – and some even within 40 minutes of the Hollywood Casino.
So this upgraded sportsbook couldn’t have come at a better time for Penn Gaming and the Hollywood Casino. Hollywood used to rake in over $400 million a year but hasn’t exceeded even half of that since 2014.
Since the arrival of Penn National Gaming and Barstool though, the Hollywood Casino has become the top-performing retail sportsbook in all of Indiana, grossing $15.5 million in revenue last year.
A look inside the new Barstool Sportsbook
The new sportsbook nearly doubles the size of the old one. The $2.4 million renovations added:
- Over 50 new slot machines
- Electronic table games
- 20 self-service betting kiosks
- Five new blackjack tables
- A new betting window for VIP customers
Galle continued:
“When we expanded, we said let’s make this all-encompassing. Let’s make it convenient for our sportsbook players so they don’t have to walk to the casino floor [and] let’s bring table games here. Let’s bring slot machines here [and] let’s bring the games they like and want to play in this venue.”
With all these new bells and whistles added, you would think the Hollywood Casino would be able to hold its own in the fight against Ohio, right? Well, John Atkinson, a development director for 888 holdings, thinks differently.
“I would expect Ohio to probably be double the size of Indiana,” said Atkinson, “But that won’t be right off the bat. That might take two or three years to develop.”
What sports betting in Ohio may look like
It’ll be interesting to see how the Ohio sports betting market affects the Indiana market. Moreso, it’ll be interesting to see how Penn National Gaming navigates these possibly murky waters.
US Penn National owns the Hollywood Casino brand, which counts for four different locations in Ohio. So, without using too much of an assumption, it would be fair to say that the Barstool Sportsbook is on its way to Ohio as well.
Rumored to join the Barstool Sportsbook are the following companies:
- FanDuel
- DraftKings
- Caesars
- Hard Rock
- BetMGM
- JACK Entertainment
Only time will tell which sportsbooks will get licenses and run in Ohio, but the clock is ticking. Stay tuned for the latest news and updates from around the state.
One thing is for sure, though. You can now just hop in the car and head on over to Hollywood Casino’s brand new Barstool Sportsbook to satisfy all your gambling needs.
