WYOMISSING, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Penn National Gaming, Inc. (PENN: Nasdaq) today completed its previously announced acquisition of a 36% interest in Barstool Sports, Inc. for total consideration of approximately $163 million, comprised of approximately $135 million in cash and $28 million in non-voting convertible preferred stock.
Pursuant to the transaction terms, Penn National is now Barstool Sports’ exclusive gaming partner and has the sole right to utilize the Barstool Sports brand for all of its online and retail sports betting and iCasino products. Penn National will increase its ownership in Barstool Sports to approximately 50% after three years (or earlier, at Penn National’s election) with an incremental investment of approximately $62 million, consistent with the implied valuation at the time of the initial purchase, and has a path to establish control and full ownership of Barstool Sports. Upon closing, Penn National designated Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, Chris Rogers and Senior Vice President, Interactive Gaming, Jon Kaplowitz, to join Barstool Sports’ seven-member board of directors. Reflecting the close of the transaction, entities affiliated with The Chernin Group now own approximately 36% of Barstool Sports with the remaining approximately 28% held by Barstool Sports’ current and former employees.
Jay Snowden, President and Chief Executive Officer of Penn National, commented, “Since announcing our groundbreaking partnership with Barstool at the end of January, we have seen first-hand the power of the Barstool brand to generate significant consumer interest and increased engagement between Barstool, their loyal audience of ‘Stoolies’ and our own nationwide platform of 41 properties in 19 states. Our two teams have hit the ground running and are working on plans to roll out the Barstool Sportsbook brand through both our retail sportsbooks and our interactive products.
“In addition, our interactive product development team is continuing its work towards the launch of our new sports betting app which is planned for August. Penn National shares the excitement of Dave Portnoy, Erika Nardini and the entire team at Barstool Sports and looks forward to creating what will be the industry’s best-in-class omni-channel provider of retail and online gaming and sports betting entertainment.”
About Penn National Gaming
Penn National Gaming owns, operates or has ownership interests in gaming and racing facilities and video gaming terminal operations with a focus on slot machine entertainment. The Company operates 41 facilities in 19 states. In total, Penn National Gaming’s facilities feature approximately 50,500 gaming machines, 1,300 table games and 8,800 hotel rooms. The Company also offers social online gaming through Penn Interactive and has a leading customer loyalty program with over five million active customers.
About Barstool Sports
Founded in 2003 by David Portnoy, Barstool Sports is a leading digital sports, entertainment and media platform that delivers original content across blogs, podcasts, radio, video and social, supported by nearly 70 dedicated personalities. It benefits from approximately 66 million monthly unique visitors, including an estimated 48% of males and 44% of females in the Millennial and Generation X generations across the United States. In 2019, Barstool Sports grew by approximately 65%, delivering nearly $100 million in revenue from digital and audio advertising, ecommerce, events, licensing and subscription.
About The Chernin Group
The Chernin Group was founded as a holding company to acquire and operate direct-to-consumer brands in media and tech. After a decade building consumer businesses, The Chernin Group management team formed TCG – a multi-stage investment firm based in Los Angeles and San Francisco. TCG’s portfolio includes digital media, commerce, marketplaces, sports, gaming, consumer finance, and health and wellness brands and platforms.
