FanDuel Sportsbook will be ready for business come March Madness.
A FanDuel spokesperson confirmed with Playin Pennsylvania on Thursday that its retail sportsbook at Valley Forge Casino will open Wednesday, just ahead of Selection Sunday on March 17.
The sportsbook will be named FanDuel Sportsbook at Valley Forge Casino.
As a result, Valley Forge will become the first Boyd Gaming property to utilize the FanDuel Sportsbook partnership. Based in King of Prussia, the PA sports betting operation will be well within earshot of the burgeoning Philadelphia sports betting market.
FanDuel Sportsbook ready to debut
Valley Forge has long prepared to take advantage of its affiliation with FanDuel Sportsbook.
The casino underwent a variety of property-wide enhancements, including the FanDuel-branded retail sportsbook.
In January, Playin Pennsylvania reported that Valley Forge targeted a mid-March opening of its wagering facility, ideally in time for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, one of the busiest times of the sports calendar.
“We are really looking forward to partnering with FanDuel,” Boyd Gaming spokesperson David Strow said at the time. “People are already familiar with FanDuel. It’s a reason for people to come to Valley Forge Casino Resort and give our product a try.”
Boyd invested more than $40 million in upgrades at Valley Forge, from improving the gaming floor to adding slots and setting up the retail sportsbook.
Now, Valley Forge appears ready to debut the spoils of that investment.
FanDuel goes from NJ to PA
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board conditionally approved Valley Forge’s petition to offer sports betting in mid-December.
Since that time, the PA sports betting crowd has grown from three sportsbooks to six.
FanDuel Sportsbook made its foray into sports betting last summer, using the Meadowlands Racetrack license to enter the NJ sports betting industry.
Since going live and rolling out its online sportsbook in September, FanDuel Sportsbook has become one of the NJ sports betting leaders. Now, the company looks to carry that success into Pennsylvania.
Of course, Valley Forge will undergo a two-day testing period by the PGCB before becoming fully operational. However, introducing the state’s first FanDuel Sportsbook will certainly draw a crowd.
And having it come ahead of March Madness betting only heightens the expected excitement.
“March Madness at our properties in Las Vegas is really an event,” Strow said in January. “It’s a betting experience like no other in sports wagering.”
