Rumor Fact(ory): Barstool Sports could be sold to a casino company

The podcast network Barstool Sports may be changing hands. Recode reported that its owner The Chernin Group is close to a deal to sell the audio brand to Penn National Gaming, a regional gambling company. So far, neither of those businesses have offered a comment on the rumor.

A representative from Barstool Sports provided Recode with this statement from founder Dave Portnoy: “We continue to speak or have spoken with everybody from DraftKings to FanDuel to Stars to PointsBet to Penn to Willam Hill to MGM to Rush Street, etc. I think that if we aligned ourselves with one company with a shared vision, that company would have an extraordinary advantage in the race to becoming the leading gambling company in the United States.”

Recode opined that if this sale goes ahead, it could help Penn National to capitalize on the recent Supreme Court ruling to selectively allow online sports betting. Barstool Sports has a site focused on the topic, including both content and games. The audio network and Portnoy have cultivated a reputation for controversy, and Recode suggested that Chernin Group executives have struggled to justify its involvement with the brand.

Anna Washenko