PENN Entertainment’s standalone Hollywood Casino app is now live in Pennsylvania, beating the timeline company executives outlined earlier this fall.
Built on PENN’s proprietary technology platform, Hollywood Casino offers more than 700 online casino games as well as a variety of daily promotions and jackpots. It can be accessed either through the new standalone brand-specific app or the existing ESPN Bet app using the same ESPN Bet login credentials, which PENN said allows for a seamless experience across PENN’s online betting and casino platforms.
As well as a variety of online slots, table games and live dealer tables, the Hollywood Casino platform offers a dedicated casino floor lobby that allows users to find virtual versions of their favorite slot games from PENN’s retail properties. It additionally features original titles from PENN’s in-house casino game development studio and is fully integrated with the PENN Play omnichannel loyalty program.
“We’re excited to launch Hollywood Casino as a stand-alone app in Pennsylvania, giving our customers access to their favorite games in a dedicated, casino-first experience,” said PENN Chief Technology Officer Aaron LaBerge. “With four Hollywood Casino properties in the state, the app leverages our trusted retail brand and creates a seamless connection between our online and retail gaming experiences. We look forward to bringing this enhanced Hollywood Casino experience to more iCasino markets in early 2025, pending regulatory approvals.”
Launch comes ahead of schedule
By taking the Hollywood Casino app live in mid-December, PENN has beaten the timeline it set for itself at a company earnings call on Nov. 7
At that time, CEO Jay Snowden said the new app would start in Pennsylvania in Q1 2025, potentially as early as January, and that launches will “follow pretty quickly” in other key iGaming markets including Michigan, New Jersey, West Virginia and Ontario. PENN said on Wednesday it plans to launch Hollywood Casino in additional iGaming markets in 2025, subject to regulatory approvals.
“We think Hollywood Casino will perform very well, we think that’s going to be a really nice shot in the arm for us in terms of continuing to grow our online casino business,” Snowden noted on that Q3 2024 earnings call. Executives added that it will offer a cross-sell factor between land-based and online casino and also between but iGaming and online sports betting.
PENN previously offered Hollywood Casino online in Pennsylvania in partnership with IGT before it was discontinued in November 2023, at the time it launched ESPN Bet in the Keystone State. Snowden noted that past offering captured high single-digit market share.
The company has four physical Hollywood Casino properties in Pennsylvania. One of those is the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, which had its casino license unanimously renewed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday.
