On November 12, Unibet provided Pennsylvania gamblers another sports betting and casino option. A few snags delayed the launch, but won’t hamper the European-based firm’s long-term prospects in the state, said Arnas Janickas, Unibet’s head of U.S. marketing.
“We get an opportunity to fix these things without exposing too many users to those issues,” Arnas Janickas said, Unibet’s chief of U.S. marketing, told Penn Bets.
Under monitoring by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Unibet is simultaneously launching both the seventh online sports betting site and fifth iGaming casino in the state. The company already had experience in both areas in New Jersey.
In Pennsylvania Unibet’s sportsbook and online casino are available through pa.unibet.com, where a single account allows customers to switch from one type of gaming to the other. Unibet has an agreement with the Mohegan Sun Pocono, where the company helps run a physical sportsbook that opened in September.
Unibet joins multiple other Pennsylvania sports betting sites that partner with Kambi as their odds originator. To attract bettors, Unibet is offering a number of incentives:
- A $250 risk-free bet after depositing fund
- A deposit match of up to $500, which is acquired over time as bets are made
- Two $10 free bets of any kind
- A “Free Bet Bonanza” during the first week, consisting of one designated contest each day on which any free $10 wager can be placed
For parlay bettors, Unibet is also offering temporary bonuses that increase the payoff on a three-leg parlay by 10 percent, a four-leg parlay by 20 percent, and a five-leg parlay by 30 percent.
There’s also a potential $100,000 payoff for those hitting a certain magical six-team point spread parlay: Pick six NFL games against the spread successfully with a minimum $10 parlay wager, and if all your teams not only win but beat the point spread by at least 9.5 points, there’s a $100,000 bonus.
For casino customers, the company is offering $10 in free play and a deposit match of up to $500.
In addition to Kambi, the primary online technology partner is Pala Interactive, a supplier of casino games that, like Unibet, has operated around the world and first entered the U.S. market through operations in New Jersey.
Much of what’s available through Unibet in Pennsylvania is similar to New Jersey, although Janickas said there are more casino games available on its New Jersey site because more vendors have been licensed there from getting a head start on Pennsylvania in interactive gaming.
Unibet’s Pennsylvania online casino is starting with 88 games, 13 of which are table games like blackjack and roulette. More games will be added over time, Janickas said.
Janickas credited Pennsylvania for authorizing both online sports betting and iGaming at the same time, unlike what other states have done, and despite comparatively high tax rates for both, “we’ll do our best to ensure the best experience possible.”
While Pennsylvanians won’t face any different betting odds that will hurt them due to the tax rate, it might be a factor discouraging Unibet from offering them all the same promotions the company will offer in other states. That could cut into the state’s ability to attract players away from illegal markets, Janickas added. But he understood that offering a weaker version in Pennsylvania could be problematic as bettors can simply cross the bridge into New Jersey.
“Our goal is to have consistent offerings,” Janickas said. “If you’re in South Jersey or Philadelphia, we don’t want to push customers to use one or the other app. They should get the same offers on the same.”
Janickas said marketing partnerships with the Philadelphia Eagles and New Jersey Devils could help build brand recognition. But Unibet faces a challenge competing with Pennsylvania online sportsbooks such as fantasy sports leaders FanDuel and DraftKings, which are far better known to the gambling public.
“Probably our most important key going forward is ensuring we build trust, and that’s a big part of why we have partnered with the Eagles and Devils,” Janickas said.
In terms of the overall size of the pie, Janickas thinks Pennsylvania is going to be similar to where New Jersey is. “It’s slightly bigger but doesn’t have the New York City market as players, but it has Philadelphia, which is absolutely crazy about sports. For us, we’re excited, we’re hopeful. We believe we have a good setup, and our strong partnerships with the Mohegan Sun and the Eagles are a good recipe.”
