Penn Sports Interactive and its Barstool Sportsbook have received a temporary mobile sports betting licence for Massachusetts.

The US state’s Gaming Commission voted unanimously to hand PSI a Category 3 Sports Wagering Operator Licence following meetings.

The MGC says Penn must provide the commission with diversity goals for workforce and supplier spend, among other conditions.

Retail sports betting is set to launch in Massachusetts on January 31, with online and mobile wagering scheduled to follow suit in March.

Advertisement

PSI’s Category 3 licence would be tethered to Plainridge Park Casino’s Category 1 sports wagering licence.

Penn Entertainment owns a share of Barstool Sports and is reportedly set to take full ownership in February.

Payments platform PayNearMe has announced that it has been approved by the Arizona Department of Gaming to provide its services to licensed operators in the state.

Barstool Sportsbook, Penn Interactive’s mobile sports betting app with nearly 70 million hits per month, has been accepting cash deposits at retail locations with PayNearMe since September 2020 and is now among the first to go live in Arizona with the company. PayNearMe has launched four clients in Arizona, and is actively working to enable additional operators across the state to accept players’ cash and electronic payment deposits.

“Players want a frictionless deposit experience, and PayNearMe’s iGaming solution helps operators improve the iGaming experience by enabling players to quickly and easily fund their accounts using any tender they choose — including Apple Pay and Google Pay — via a smartphone. As more states legalize online sports betting, PayNearMe’s technology and electronic cash network make it possible for operators to get up and running quickly in each new state,” Michael Kaplan, Chief Revenue Officer and General Manager at PayNearMe, said.

“We are ready to rapidly expand the Barstool Sportsbook & Casino app across the US in tandem with states legalizing sports betting. PayNearMe’s technology makes it possible for us to quickly begin accepting cash deposits as states go live,” Jake Francis, Sr. Director of Operations at Penn Interactive, said.

Advertisement

Managing deposits and payouts is a complex process that requires technology designed specifically for the iGaming industry.

“We have deep expertise in the gaming industry and have worked closely with the Arizona Department of Gaming to ensure our service is compliant with all applicable statutory requirements,” Connor McNulty, Senior Regulatory Counsel and BSA/AML/OFAC Compliance Officer at PayNearMe, said.

Genius Sports Limited the official data, technology and commercial partner that powers the ecosystem connecting sports, betting and media, has entered into a long-term partnership with Penn Interactive to provide official data and fan engagement solutions for the Company’s Barstool Sportsbook.

Penn Interactive currently operates online Barstool Sportsbooks across nine U.S. states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois and New Jersey. Genius Sports will provide Barstool Sportsbook with its market-leading official data, including access to select official sports data from the U.S. and international sports leagues. 

Across player acquisition, engagement and long-term retention, Barstool Sportsbook has also partnered with Genius Sports for its marketing and engagement strategy.

The agreement makes Barstool Sportsbook the latest U.S. sports betting brand to adopt Genius Sports’ exclusive official sports content, which includes NASCAR’s full suite of official data-powered in-race betting markets, launched in partnership with Genius Sports in 2020, as well as access to the NFL’s real-time statistics, proprietary Next Gen Stats (“NGS”) and official sports betting data feed. Genius Sports will also provide Barstool Sportsbook with its global official sports data portfolio from other top tier leagues, including the English Premier League, Liga MX, Argentine and Colombian soccer.

Advertisement

“We are excited to be partnering with Genius Sports for official data beginning with tonight’s kickoff,” said Jon Kaplowitz, Head of Penn Interactive. “Delivering official data to our growing, loyal audience will provide tremendous wagering opportunities for our users.  We also look forward to reaching sports fans who may not yet have experienced the Barstool Sportsbook through access to marketing inventory on NFL digital properties from Genius Sports.”

“Our partnership with Penn Interactive will provide one of the fastest-growing and most innovative sports betting brands with unique content across the whole player experience,” said Mark Locke, CEO at Genius Sports. “Barstool Sports is uniquely positioned in the U.S. market, appealing to a dynamic and passionate fan base. With Genius’ official sports data, next-generation marketing and fan engagement solutions, we look forward to supporting Barstool Sportsbook’s U.S. expansion.”