Stardust, the iconic gaming brand that was a fixture on the Las Vegas Strip from the late 1950s through 2006, has been resurrected.
Boyd Gaming Corporation and FanDuel Group announced Monday plans to launch Stardust-branded online casinos in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
“While the resort has been gone for more than a decade, the Stardust brand is still as well-known and popular as ever,” said Keith Smith, president and CEO of Boyd Gaming, owner of the Stardust brand, in a statement. “We are excited to work with our partners at FanDuel to launch our first real-money online casinos and are confident this legendary brand will give us a significant advantage in connecting with players looking for a distinctive online gaming experience.”
In New Jersey, FanDuel plans to rebrand its existing Betfair Casino in New Jersey under the Stardust brand, while in Pennsylvania, Stardust will be a new entry into the market. Pending final regulatory approval in each state, the Stardust casinos are expected to be ready for players in April, with apps available for iOS and Android.
During the fourth quarter earnings call in February, Smith said that online gaming could help the Las Vegas-based casino operator recover from the economic downturn the company endured in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith added that cash flow from online sports betting in 2020, due predominately to Boyd Gaming’s partnership with FanDuel in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, contributed $10 million in 2020.
“Online gaming is clearly a compelling growth opportunity for our industry and our company,” Smith said in February. “By partnering with a proven market leader like FanDuel to pursue these opportunities, we are generating immediate and growing profits from digital gaming today while maintaining flexibility to explore the many opportunities available to us to ensure that we are well-positioned for the future.”
Players must be in New Jersey or Pennsylvania to access the real-money Stardust Casino, but the free-to-play Stardust Social casino will be available to patrons across the country.
The Stardust Casino will be built on FanDuel’s proprietary front-end apps and player account management system with the online casinos in each state linked to Boyd Gaming’s B Connected player loyalty program.
“The new Stardust Casino will retain all of the great games that customers love on Betfair Casino, while incorporating a new stylish look that captures the glitz, glamour and nostalgia of old Las Vegas,” said Amy Howe, President of FanDuel Group, in a statement. “Stardust Casino allows us to take a market leading product to the next level, creating a unified platform across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.”
Boyd owns 5% of FanDuel, but the sports betting provider does not operate the company’s Nevada sportsbooks.
