FanDuel launches standalone online casino app in Pennsylvania

FanDuel is rolling out a standalone casino app in Pennsylvania in partnership with Valley Forge Casino and Boyd Gaming in Pennsylvania as it looks to attract gamblers during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The FanDuel Casino app debuted Wednesday in the state for iOS and Android users after previously launching within the company’s local sportsbook platform. FanDuel Casino will still be available inside the FanDuel Sportsbook app, and customers that already have an account there can use the same login for the FanDuel Casino app and place live wagers on games traditionally found in brick-and-mortar casinos, including blackjack, roulette, video poker and slot machines. The app will eventually have an expanded game library.

“Pennsylvania is a really exciting state for us as it represents the first state where we’ve introduced FanDuel Casino alongside our FanDuel Sportsbook product,” Jesse Chemtob, general manager and vice president of casino at FanDuel Group, said in a release. “We’ve seen great engagement and interest with our FanDuel Casino product amongst our sportsbook customers to date and we view this product evolution as a natural next step to provide a full-service gaming experience to our Pennsylvania customers.”

FanDuel offered to refund up to $200 in losses for Pennsylvania-based online gamblers in the 24 hours after launch. 

Pennsylvania’s first online casinos launched in July 2019, nearly two years after Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill expanding legal gambling in the state. FanDuel was among the first operators to go live. The operator has taken more than $200 million in wagers on its online table games in each of the last four months, according to Play Pennsylvania.

The casino app debuted amid a lull in sports betting activity during the pandemic. U.S. sports leagues were forced to shut down in mid-March as the pandemic worsened. FanDuel, rival DraftKings and other sportsbooks have turned to other events to fill the revenue gap.