Barstool Sports Soft Launches in New Jersey; Mums the Word

New Jersey welcomes Barstool Sportsbook & Casino as the company is carrying out controlled tests through Monday, August 23. 

Barstool Is in New Jersey, But Not Everyone Knows 

Most operators launch in a major iGaming and sports gambling market with a bang, but Barstool Sportsbook doesn’t seem to be one of them – at least not on this occasion. The company made its 2021 soft launch into New Jersey under the radar, with the sportsbook setting up shop on August 19. 

There was no sign of the traditional fanfare, social buzz, or even a press release. Rather, the company just released its Barstool Sportsbook & Casino platforms and waited for the rest of the world to catch up, and it has. 

Briefly, the company described some of the current conditions of the launch, explaining, “We’re excited to bring Barstool Sportsbook and Casino to New Jersey. During our initial launch, we will be operating under special conditions to abide by state regulations. These conditions will only impact players while they are located within New Jersey.”

The platform caps the daily number of players who may log in at 500, and anyone who wants to register will be able to do so, regardless of whether the active player cap has been reached. However, to log in, there has to be a slot free on the server.

There is no specific order in which users can log. Essentially, whoever logs first gets a priority. According to Barstool, the company will continue with the soft launch for another several days with limited operating hours.

The Thursday launch was held between 2 pm and 10 pm, and the following test periods, including today’s, are as follows: 

• Friday: 2 pm – 10 pm
• Saturday: 12pm – 2 am
• Sunday: 12 pm – 12 pm
• Monday: 12 pm – 12 pm

Running a Little Late, But Still on Time 

The pilot test will finish on Monday, August 23 at midnight. Previously, Barstool suggested that it would be launching in the Garden State in May, but this target was missed. Penn National Gaming CEO Jay Snowden confirmed for CNBC, though, that the company’s product will be launching in New Jersey on time for the NFL season. 

Barstool Sports is considering other launches as well, including one in Arizona and another in Tennessee. Those may come just on time for kickoff on September 9. Barstool is already present in Arizona through a partnership with Phoenix Raceway, giving hopes that a launch should come in time for America’s most-watched sport.

Then again, Tennessee is still moving a little slow as the state’s gambling regulator has not approved new operators during its meeting this Wednesday.