Barstool Chicago Bar In River North Will Be Open To The Public This Weekend, Per Dave Portnoy

Written By Joe Boozell on January 6, 2022
buckinhham fountain

According to Dave Portnoy, Barstool River North, a sports club in Chicago, will remain open to the public on Saturday.

The announcement was made by Portnoy on The Dave Porthoo Show that he will be in Chicago for the start. Basically, the bar will be open only on Fridays.

Entry will require vaccination, following the implementation of an indoor vaccine mandate by the city of Chicago, effective from Jan. 3.

To clarify any confusion, you cannot register for a Barstool Sportsbook account at the bar. This can only be done at Hollywood Casino Aurora.

Nonetheless, the table will exude a casino-like vibe with its many TV screens, beverages, and food. Those who already have the Barstool app on their phones can place bets on it. Unfortunately, those who don’t might be out of luck for now.

As of March 5, in-person registration will no longer be available. From that point forward, registration for any online sportsbook in Illinois can be done from a mobile device.

The bar will occupy the former location of Henry’s at 18 W Hubbard St. Given that River North experiences a lot of pedestrian movement, it’s anticipated that this spot will be popular.

Towards the end of 2021, Jay Snowden, President and CEO of Penn National Gaming, stated:

Over the following months, we intend to launch the first two independent sports bars under the Barstool brand in Philadelphia and Chicago. This move will enhance our omni-channel strategy by targeting more specific, flexible, and highly appreciated locations.

This year, Portnoy made his inaugural visit to the newly-established Barstool Chicago business located in Lakeview.

Barstool has so far been in Illinois.

Barstool made its debut in Illinois in March when website registration was still in place. A few days later, Gov. Pritzker reintroduced in-person membership.

The determination had a more significant impact on Barstool than any other life operator due to the fact that new users could only be registered after three weeks. That being said, if Barstool had commenced operations earlier, it would currently be reporting higher numbers in the Land of Lincoln.

Nevertheless, Barstool is doing reasonably well in Illinois. As of the latest revenue report in October, it was the fourth-largest operator by handle. On a monthly basis, it lags behind DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetRivers in handle.

As a point of comparison, DraftKings posted control for more than four days in October, which is more than what Barstool did.

Barstool is expected to rise in the ranks once online registration is reinstated. Furthermore, until it opens at Wrigley Field, the DraftKings Sportsbook will be the sole legitimate betting venue in Chicago, despite not being an official casino.

Additionally, a table is coming to Philadelphia.

Snowden also stated that a Barstool Bar is heading to the City of Brotherly Love.

Portnoy also referred to the Philadelphia table on his radio.

The event was scheduled to take place at the Brickwall Tavern, located at 1213 Sansom Street, shortly after the start in Chicago. It was supposed to go live not too long after.

Photo taken by Jun Yam for AP Photo / G
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Boozell, Joe

Since 2015, Joe Boozell has been a college sports writer for NCAA.com. His work has also been featured in Bleacher Report, FoxSports.com, and NBA.com. As a youth in the Chicago basketball scene, Boozell had the opportunity to play against Anthony Davis and Frank Kaminsky… you can guess how those matches turned out.

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