Flutter Entertainment-owned FanDuel Group has launched a branded, standalone casino app for Pennsylvania players, while its licensing partner in the state, Boyd Gaming’s Valley Forge Casino, has announced that it will reopen to the public from June 26.
FanDuel had previously offered online casino games via its sports betting app in the state, but has now decided to roll out a separate product for the vertical – the first time the operator has launched such a product.
Casino games will still be available within the sportsbook solution, though customers will also be able to use their existing accounts to play via the new offering.
“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,” FanDuel’s general manager for casino Jesse Chemtob explained.
“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.”
It comes on the same day rival operator DraftKings rolled out its own standalone casino product, for players in New Jersey. This also marked the first time the operator had released a casino-only app.
In related news, FanDuel’s licensing partner for Pennsylvania, Valley Forge Casino, has announced that it will reopen on June 26. The venue has been shuttered since March 17, when the state’s casinos were ordered to close to slow the spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has worked on a phased reopening of the state following the lockdown, with restrictions being eased county-by-county. This saw the first casinos resume operations from 9 June, starting with Rush Street’s Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, and Meadows Racetrack and Casino.
Venues are required to impose strict cleaning processes and ensure social distancing where possible on the gaming floor, which has led to poker rooms remaining closed due to the difficulties in preventing transmission of the virus in such close quarters.
For Valley Forge, this will see all employees required to undergo temperature checks and wear face masks, and all staff trained on safety protocols, among other measures, as part of parent company Boyd Gaming’s ‘Boyd Clean’ guidelines.
“In Valley Forge, we are committed to protecting the health and safety of our guests, team members and the community through ‘Boyd Clean,’ a set of comprehensive health and safety protocols that fully meet the highest standards set forth by local, state and federal health officials,” Valley Forge vice president and general manager David Zerfing explained.
“We look forward to welcoming back our community and providing our guests with a safe and enjoyable entertainment experience.”