Barstool Sportsbook Goes Offline While Integrating New Tech

Barstool Sportsbook is ceasing operations while the company moves away from Kambi technology.

Dave Bonderoff

Last Updated: July 10, 2023 2:46 PM EDT • 3 minute read

For those of you looking to place a bet with Barstool Sportsbook, you are out of luck for a reported 72-hour period, starting Sunday, July 9.

Barstool Sportsbook is ceasing operations, which includes all betting activities, deposits, and withdrawals while the company moves away from popular European technology provider, Kambi technology. In an attempt to improve performance of the sports betting brand, Penn National-owned Barstool Sportsbook is bringing in a new, in-house technology to hopefully aid in their expansion and capture of a bigger market share among the top sports betting sites.

“Over the last year, our team has been working hard to build a new and improved Barstool Sportsbook & Casino,” an email to current users read. “Next week we will be launching the new Barstool Sportsbook & Casino, which is loaded with additional features to upgrade your betting experience.”

Why the switch?

PENN Entertainment’s Barstool Sportsbook has been a middling brand among the best sports betting apps, but hopes to become a go-to in 16 states where the sports betting company has a presence.

Kambi, one of the top sports betting technology providers in the world, has served as Penn National's sports betting technology provider since September 2021. But the writing was on the wall for Kambi and Penn once Penn acquired Toronto-based theScore in October 2021.

theScore, at the time of the takeover, was in the midst of developing their own proprietary technology that would better suit the bettor on North American soil. That technology made its successful debut in the Ontario market last year with theScore Bet, but has been slow to catch on in the 16 American states where Barstool is a factor.

That is until now.

Barstool CEO Jay Snowden commented earlier this year that: “Our success in Ontario provides us with a blueprint for improved performance for the Barstool Sportsbook & Casino after we complete our migration to this platform in July.”

Hopes for the new platform

Penn National's rationale for switching providers is a simple play to improve overall performance. The Barstool brand was expected to challenge the likes of FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM but has not come close to that level yet despite competitive Barstool promo codes.

According to a press release surrounding the shutdown and ultimate switch to their own proprietary software: “Having full control of our product roadmap in the U.S. will enable us to connect with our customers on a more personal level and quickly add new features and betting markets to the Barstool Sportsbook, while also enhancing our iCasino product with new content and bonus mechanics. In addition, with an improved customer experience post-migration, we will be well positioned to drive stronger loyalty and retention, while offering seamless cross-play in our omni-channel ecosystem.”

What Barstool's technology will improve

There are many areas that the new Barstool technology hopes to address. Included are:

Quicker load times for deposits and withdrawals
Bigger menu of player props
More Barstool Sportsbook state-centric exclusives
Better navigation search for any betting market
More all-encompassing and attractive promotions
Complete integration into theScore media app

For now...

Expect to see an “Under Maintenance” message when you log into Barstool Sportsbook for the next couple of days. A more detailed explanation reveals that: “We are currently upgrading the Barstool Sportsbook to bring you an improved app experience with more markets and wagering options.”

The timing for the Barstool shutdown will only be a few days and smartly corresponds to a break in the only major North American sports currently running. Major League Baseball is officially on its All Star break and returns to action on Friday.

For now, Barstool has assured users that “account balance is 100% secured throughout this upgrade process and your account information and settings will remain the same. Any pending wagers will also automatically carry over to the new Barstool Sportsbook & Casino experience.”

Written by:
Dave Bonderoff

Dave Bonderoff and betting go hand-in-hand. Both are characterized by "odds". Dave fancies himself as one of the most dedicated sports and pop-culture junkies around, to the chagrin of his family and friends. Following sports for 50 years and writing about it for 20, Dave hasn't found a sport yet that can't contribute to 2-3 straight hours of couch time. That search remains ongoing. As a good old Canadian boy, hockey is in Dave’s heart, as is curling sadly. But evolution is a real thing and that’s why football, baseball, and just about every sport on the planet has become a passion. Dave isn’t afraid to kill some time obsessing over politics or the far-too-frequent awards shows the consume the airwaves.