WYOMISSING, Pa. — PENN Entertainment Inc. on Friday announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Barstool Sports Inc.
The company, which owns Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County and The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County, had previously acquired a 36% stake of Barstool Sports in February 2020.
PENN has acquired the remaining interest in Barstool Sports for approximately $388 million, the company said.
The closing of the acquisition marks a major milestone for Barstool Sports as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. Founded in 2003 as a free sports and gambling newspaper by Dave Portnoy, Barstool has evolved into a leading digital player in sports, lifestyle, and entertainment.
With over 200 million loyal followers, the company creates and delivers unmatched sports and comedic content through its extensive network of over 100 shows and 90+ personalities, PENN said.
Its content offerings span podcasts, video, social media, live events, pay-per-view and a growing commerce business, solidifying its position as a multimedia powerhouse.
Since partnering with Barstool Sports in 2020, PENN has successfully developed an omnichannel strategy that leverages Barstool’s well-known brand and personalities. Barstool Sportsbook has grown to become a leading online betting platform currently live in 15 states, with PENN also having launched retail branded Barstool Sportsbooks at its properties across the country.
PENN and Barstool Sports will continue to innovate and collaborate, including across Barstool’s sports bar footprint, to deliver compelling integrated gaming and entertainment experiences, the company said in its announcement.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Barstool Sports fully into the PENN Entertainment family,” said PENN Entertainment CEO and President, Jay Snowden. “Barstool is a proven, powerful media brand with an authentic voice and vast, loyal audience that provides us with a strong top of funnel for new customer acquisition and organic cross-selling opportunities across our growing interactive division.
"Barstool, combined with the Score’s reach and highly engaged user base, creates a massive digital footprint and ecosystem that will serve to propel Barstool Sportsbook and our uniquely integrated media and gaming business.
"Further, the Barstool Sportsbook will greatly benefit from the upcoming migration to our proprietary technology stack, a move that will significantly enhance the overall product offering and deliver meaningful upside.”
“Barstool Sports is bigger than ever and has become more than I ever dreamed of,” said Portnoy. “I’m very thankful to the Barstool team and Stoolies who have been along for the ride. I’m looking forward to this next chapter with PENN.”
“This is a huge moment for Barstool Sports that was made possible by a lot of people and a lot of grit,” said Erika Ayers, CEO of Barstool Sports. “Our focus has always been to create relevant and entertaining content for our fans and to deliver strong results for our partners. It’s exciting to have that vision recognized and to be able to put it to work inside of PENN. We have the best fan base on the planet, and we look forward to doing even more for them with PENN’s support.”
In the past three years since PENN first invested in the company, Barstool Sports has:
- Grown its audience 194% and recorded total podcast downloads of 1.6 billion.
- Delivered over 875,000 videos across social media totaling over 128 billion video views.
- Increased ad sales by 160%.
- Sold over 5 million units, including apparel, licensed products and accessories, by combining a direct-to-consumer approach and bringing the brand to thousands of retail stores nationwide.
- Expanded its live event programming, including producing and broadcasting its first Division I college basketball games (Barstool Sports Invitational) and the Barstool Arizona Bowl college football game.
- Launched TwoYay, its proprietary NIL marketplace, connecting athletes to brands and agencies.
PENN and Barstool Sports initially announced an exclusive sports betting and iCasino partnership in January 2020, with PENN acquiring 36% of Barstool Sports on Feb. 20, 2020 for a total consideration of approximately $163 million, comprised of approximately $135 million in cash and $28 million in non-voting convertible preferred stock.
The initial agreement included a path for PENN to establish full control and ownership of Barstool Sports.
