Colorado Barstool Sportsbook Gives Michigan Bettors a Preview

Michigan bettors eagerly anticipating the new Barstool-branded sportsbook coming to Greektown Casino in Detroit have a better idea of what to expect when it’s unveiled later this month.

Last week, Barstool debuted its first retail sportsbook at Ameristar Black Hawk in Colorado.

“We are very excited to be opening the first Barstool Sportsbook in the country at Ameristar Black Hawk,” Jay Snowden, president and CEO of Penn National Gaming, said in a news release. “This will be the first of many new retail locations for Barstool Sportsbooks at our casinos nationwide. Each will incorporate several features that reflect the spirit of the Barstool Sports brand, resulting in unique sports betting experiences that we expect our customers will thoroughly enjoy.”

Located on the second floor of the casino, the sportsbook at Ameristar features a 24-foot video wall, 13 betting kiosks, drink specials and 29 HDTVs. Table games such as blackjack and roulette are also available.

Its beautiful. @AmeristarBH pic.twitter.com/99apdnj1KN

— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) November 5, 2023

Customers can expect to have thousands of sports betting options available to them, including football, basketball, hockey, soccer, baseball, golf, tennis, auto racing, cycling, boxing and UFC. Both professional and collegiate sports can be wagered on. The book takes straight bets, parlays, matchups, futures, prop bets and more.

“Our customers are very excited to start wagering on sports,” said Sean Demeule, general manager at Ameristar Black Hawk. “The passion for professional and college sports runs deep in this region, and we look forward to becoming a destination for fans all year-round.”

Excitement for Michigan

Over the past month, Snowden has reiterated his excitement in bringing a Barstool-branded sportsbook to Michigan. In the third-quarter revenue report, he highlighted Michigan’s sportsbook as one of the key parts of the company’s future.

“We look forward to an exciting finish to the year as we introduce Barstool-branded retail sportsbooks across our portfolio and, subject to final regulatory approval, the launch of our Barstool Sportsbook app in Michigan,” he said.

The new sportsbook could help grow Greektown’s market share. Anticipation over Barstool’s Michigan announcement was evident online. Greektown’s Twitter account sees limited traction on its posts, but the Barstool announcement received over 500 retweets and 2,500 likes.

“I think it makes our sportsbook really unique and differentiates us from our competition,” said Hugh Flack, Greektown vice president of gaming operations. “The Barstool brand is extremely exciting, and they have a very loyal following that’s growing by the minute. The big thing about their brand is that they want their followers to win and succeed. They’re great advocates for that brand.”

In August, the first full month of sports betting in Detroit, Greektown was the last of the city’s three commercial casinos in handle. MGM Grand Detroit was open for 25 days in August and held 48% of the market share handle in Detroit ($7,561,607.25), while the FanDuel Sportsbook at MotorCity Casino had 34% ($5,300,122) and Greektown recorded 18% ($2,882,526.49). MotorCity and Greektown opened two days earlier than MGM.

Greektown is owned by Penn National Gaming, which announced on Jan. 29 it took a 36% interest in Barstool and became the sports media platform’s official gaming partner.