Daily fantasy sports turned sports betting operator FanDuel is coming to Pennsylvania.
Last week, sources inside the company told PlayPennsylvania that a FanDuel Sportsbook mobile sports betting app will soon launch in PA. It will do so out of Boyd Gaming‘s Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia.
FanDuel has already moved into the New Jersey and West Virginia sports betting markets. Pennsylvania appears to be next.
Valley Forge Casino Resort has yet to apply for a $10 million sports betting license with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). However, FanDuel claims an application is in the works.
There is a PGCB meeting scheduled for Sept. 12. However, the board isn’t likely to begin discussing the Valley Forge and FanDuel plan until its Oct. 2 meeting.
Board regulations require sports betting applications to be submitted 90 days before operations launch. However, the Board could approve a Valley Forge and FanDuel license prior to that. A move that may allow operations to launch as early as November.
FanDuel and Paddy Power Betfair
Earlier this year, FanDuel combined operations with Betfair US, a subsidiary of Paddy Power Betfair, one of the largest publicly traded sports betting companies in the world.
The newly created FanDuel Group soon partnered with Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey to launch a brick and mortar sportsbook at the track. It opened on Saturday, July 14. Additionally, its FanDuel Sportsbook mobile sports betting app launched this past weekend.
FanDuel has also inked a deal with West Virginia’s The Greenbrier casino resort to provide an onsite wagering platform inside The Casino Club at The Greenbrier. There are also plans for a FanDuel-branded online site and mobile app.
Additionally, the company’s deal with Meadowlands Racetrack includes a long-term agreement to run retail and online and mobile sports betting with Tioga Downs Casino Resort in New York, once New York passes sports betting legislation.
Boyd Gaming and FanDuel Group
The news of FanDuel’s entrance into PA through Valley Forge Casino Resort was hinted at in early August when Boyd announced it had inked a deal with FanDuel Group to run online and mobile sports betting operations across the US together.
The agreement gives FanDuel Group market access in states, like PA, where Boyd holds gaming licenses. In return, Boyd gets tech and related services for its Boyd-branded mobile and online sports betting products from FanDuel.
Boyd CEO Keith Smith said that deal put them in position to lead the US sports betting market:
“With more than 40 years of experience, Boyd Gaming is a leader in the gaming and entertainment space, and a natural partner as we continue to build a leading position in the sports betting market. There is incredible momentum in the sports betting space and we look forward to partnering with Boyd Gaming to bring the FanDuel Sportsbook to more customers across the United States.”
Boyd and MGM Resorts International
Boyd also struck a deal with MGM Resorts International to run online gambling and mobile sports betting operations together. Both deals mean FanDuel will be working with MGM in additional states where MGM has properties and sports betting is legal.
On the FanDuel side, the agreements do not extend to Nevada. Boyd and MGM already run various proprietary retail and mobile sports betting operations there.
MGM does not operate a casino in PA. This makes Valley Forge the only logical entry point for FanDuel into the Commonwealth’s sports betting market.
Of course, PA sports betting regulations allow license holders only one mobile sportsbook. Plus, that sportsbook must prominently feature the license holder’s name. Therefore, one can expect the product to launch with a name like FanDuel Sportsbook at Valley Forge or something similar.