Fanatics Casino began taking bets in Pennsylvania on Jan. 22. As Bonus reported on Jan. 16, the online gambling app switched from PointsBet, a Fanatics Experience, to Fanatics Sportsbook and Casino. The change happened because sports merchandise etailer Fanatics bought the US holdings of Australian online gambling operator PointsBet.
After that August purchase of the US businesses of PointsBet Holdings Limited (PointsBet Holdings Limited 0,57 0,00%), Fanatics rebranded its apps to PointsBet, a Fanatics Experience.
Beginning on Nov. 16 in West Virginia, Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG) began rolling out its own online casino product. There, the first Fanatics Casino bettor placed a $5 wager on a game built in-house — Fanatics Blackjack.
Pennsylvania is the second state to see Fanatics Casino debut and the 11th to experience Fanatics Sportsbook.
In the formal announcement about the Jan. 22 launch in Pennsylvania, FBG said the app is technically in what’s called a “soft launch” period. For two days, the state gaming regulator — the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) — will monitor the app before allowing a full launch.
However, gamblers likely won’t notice that status because there are no restrictions on “customer signups or playtime” as there are during standard soft launches.
Meanwhile, Kevin Hennessy, vice president of communications at Fanatics, told Bonus on Jan. 22:
PointsBet accounts have been migrated over to Fanatics Sportsbook, and it’s our largest migration state so far.
That’s unsurprising, considering Pennsylvania is a much larger online casino marketplace than West Virginia. The Keystone State generated $2.11 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR) from its online casino and poker rooms during 2023. West Virginia saw $157.4 million in revenue last year.
In fact, the Philadelphia Evolution (Evolution AB (publ) 4,16 +0,73%) live dealer studio streams content to the Mountain State.
Meanwhile, the primary thing Pennsylvania online casino gamblers probably want to know is how to access the new app.
Here’s what I did.
How to Find Fanatics Casino
What I did on Jan. 22 from my home in Philadelphia was click to open the app called PointsBet, a Fanatics Experience. There, I saw instructions to download Fanatics Sportsbook and Casino. At the bottom of that page, there was a red button titled “Open Fanatics Sportsbook and Casino.”
I downloaded the new app, logged in, and saw a page called Before You Bet, Have a Plan. The page gave me the options of setting a wager limit, a single wager limit, and a deposit limit. Instead, I clicked the box at the bottom of the page that said next to it, “I choose not to set limits at this time.”
After the introductory process, I reached the app’s home page. Fanatics Casino was accessible from there.
I scrolled down to see the Top 10 games in Pennsylvania.
As of 5 p.m. on Jan. 22, they are:
- Cleopatra
- Fanatics Blackjack
- Lightning Roulette (with a live dealer from Evolution who was talking to bettors)
- Cash Eruption
- Buffalo Mania by Megaways
- Wheel of Fortune by Megaways
- Golden Goddess
- Multihand Blackjack Surrender
- Wild Hot Chilli Reels
- Vault Cracker
After I exited the Lightning Roulette game, the Fanatics Casino lobby showed me I had recently played the game.
More Casino Games Are on Offer
In its Jan. 22 announcement about the Pennsylvania launch, FBG said Fanatics Casino will release more “exclusive” games “later this year.” For example, Fanatics Blackjack, created in partnership with Boom Entertainment, is an online casino game FBG considers exclusive.
Other new games provided by Light and Wonder (LNW) include the following:
- 88 Fortunes
- Jin Ji Bao
- Endless Treasures
- Dancing Drums Explosion
- Ultimate Fire Link
- China Street
In addition to the LNW (Light & Wonder Inc 88,03 -3,06%) titles, Fanatics Casino will offer “access to third-party aggregated content from some of the world’s biggest studios, such as Big Time Gaming, ReelPlay, and Spribe.”
Also, the live dealer options already include blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, and poker variants.
In addition, Evolution will provide Fanatics Casino with an exciting lineup of online slots, the award-winning Lightning Roulette, and many more games to come.
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