Chavdar Vasilev is a journalist covering the casino and sports betting market sectors for CasinoBeats. He joined CasinoBeats in May 2025 and reports on industry-shaping stories across the US and beyond, including legislative debates, market...
Read Full BioPENN Entertainment has launched its standalone Hollywood Casino app in West Virginia, extending the company’s growing digital casino footprint into a fourth state. The app is now live on iOS, Android, and desktop.
Hollywood Casino is also available via the ESPN Bet app. Existing ESPN users can log in to the standalone app using the same credentials. The standalone app offers a diverse range of slots, table games, and live dealer games, including exclusive titles.
In addition, Hollywood Casino offers exclusive options from PENN Game Studios, PENN’s in-house development studio. They include Legendary Larry and Wuji Mines. Exclusive titles have become a go-to strategy for operators seeking to differentiate themselves in a crowded iGaming market.
A Careful Rollout After Barstool
PENN announced plans for a standalone app in August 2024 with expectations for an early 2025 launch. However, the company pushed the launch to December 2024 when it went live in Pennsylvania.
A month later, the standalone app went live in Michigan. New Jersey followed with a launch in March 2025. West Virginia marks the fourth market for the Hollywood Casino app.
The measured approach reflects lessons learned from PENN’s turbulent experience with Barstool Sports.
PENN first acquired a 36% stake in Barstool in 2020, hoping to tap into younger demographics. It then bought the remainder in early 2023.
But after facing regulatory scrutiny and a steady decline in market share, the company sold Barstool back to Dave Portnoy for $1 later that year, booking a half-billion-dollar loss. On the same day, PENN announced a $1.5 billion deal with ESPN to rebrand its sportsbook as ESPN Bet.
The operator then decided to combine Barstool’s online casino with its already existing Hollywood Online Casino in Pennsylvania. The online casino was integrated into ESPN BET’s app, but PENN decided to follow the trend of other operators and introduce a standalone app.
App Momentum: Record Growth in 2025
PENN’s Q2 2025 earnings highlighted the Hollywood Casino app as a bright spot in the Interactive division.
In June, the app achieved 73% standalone incrementality. That is the percentage of gaming revenue coming from new or reactivated users. Additionally, it achieved:
- Monthly active users climbed 49% year-over-year, while net gaming revenue rose 29%.
- In Pennsylvania and Michigan, retail players who also used the standalone app increased spending both at physical casinos and online—retail play rose 19% in Pennsylvania and 28% in Michigan. In comparison, online play jumped 133% and 242%, respectively.
- July delivered Penn’s highest-ever iGaming gross gaming revenue in both Pennsylvania and Michigan.
During the Q2 earnings call, PENN executives emphasized that the app is additive rather than cannibalizing. CEO Jay Snowden commented: “Our standalone Hollywood iCasino app is continuing to expand its reach with over 70% of its gaming revenue life-to-date (through June 30) generated by users that are newly acquired, retail native, or reactivated.”
Notably, PENN operates the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia, so it likely hopes to capitalize on the success in Pennsylvania and Michigan in capturing retail customers with the Hollywood Casino app.
With West Virginia live, PENN now operates Hollywood Casino iCasino in four states, and executives are positioning the app as a key driver of digital growth alongside ESPN BET.
