The Stars Group expands its presence in the US as it enters the second state in the burgeoning US regulated online gambling market by launching FOX Bet, its newly branded online sports betting platform in Pennsylvania.
On Wednesday, just one day before the 2019 NFL season kicks off, the newly branded sportsbook, FOX Bet, soft-launched in Pennsylvania to become the fifth sportsbook to go live in the state.
It now joins other online sportsbooks in the state such as PlaySugarHouse, BetRivers, Parx and FanDuel.
At this time, FOX Bet is available on desktop and mobile supporting both Android and iOS devices.
New players are being welcomed with two generous offers. FOX Bet is giving away $20 free to all new players who sign up with no promo code needed. Additionally, they are also offering a 100% match deposit up to $100 for the first real money deposit.
The new sports betting platform is offering Pennsylvania players the chance to place real money wagers on a wide range of live sporting events including football, basketball, baseball, as well as horse racing, hockey, tennis, cricket and other sporting events.
In addition to the welcome bonuses, FOX Bet is also offering special bets including daily odds boosts, special custom bets, and a Spin & Bet feature allowing players to spin a wheel to increase the odds of their bets by up to 10 times.
Furthermore, the new app also provides access to Fox Sports content such as instant scores, game statistics, alerts and odds updates as well as the latest news and expert insights from notable personalities like Colin Cowherd, Cris Carter, Clay Travis, and Cousin Sal.
FOX Bet and TSG Partnership
In May, TSG finally found its US media partner in FOX Sports after entering into a long-term partnership to offer real money sports betting across the US where applicable. The partnership is being hailed as the first-of-its-kind partnership between a US sports media conglomerate and an online gambling giant such as TSG.
The Fox Corporation bought a 4.99% stake in TSG for $236 million. As per the terms, Fox has the option to acquire up to 50% of TSG’s equity stake in the US market with the agreement scheduled to be in force for a period of up to 25 years.
The agreement also allows the US media giant to offer a nationwide free-to-play “sports prediction” contest with cash prizes in states which have yet to legalize online sports betting.
Pennsylvania now becomes the second state in the US to see FOX Bet’s branding presence.
Last week, TSG’s previous sports betting brand, BetStars, was rebranded in New Jersey as FOX Bet. The company’s other brands (including PokerStars and PokerStars Casino) continue to operate in the Garden State under the same brand with no changes.
TSG and Mount Airy
The launch of FOX Bet in the Keystone State became possible thanks to TSG’s partnership with the bricks and mortar Mount Airy Casino to offer a full complement of online gaming products to players within the state.
In June, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) approved the petition for a sports wagering certificate from Mount Airy Casino Resort. The casino applied for the sports betting license in early April by paying $10 million.
In fact, TSG already had a deal in place with Mount Airy to offer online poker, slots and table games. The duo was approved by PGCB in late November 2018.
TSG is relatively late to join the bandwagon as other operators were first to make moves to get their offerings started as soon as online sports betting was allowed in Pennsylvania.
PlaySugarHouse was the first operator to enter the market after getting its approval in May. A month later, BetRivers and Prax kicked off their services, followed by FanDuel Sportsbook in July.
Now all eyes will be on TSG’s other gaming verticals including online poker and casino games to determine when they will go live in the state. Now that FOX Bet has gone fully live, it wouldn’t be surprising to see PokerStars go live in Pennsylvania as early as next week.
