BetAmerica Online Sports Betting Deposit Bonuses and Promotions

Update: BetAmerica is no longer operating in any state. Churchill Downs has suspended operations of its mobile sports betting operations, which means BetAmerica, and its former replacement, TwinSpires, are no longer available in any state. There are a few TwinSpires retail sportsbooks in operation, but BetAmerica is no longer in existence. This page will not be updated. 

Churchill Downs Inc. has completed the takeover of Presque Isle Downs and is looking forward to making their mark in the online casino and sportsbetting market. Presque Isle Casino will launch their online a retail sportsbooks through Churchill Downs BetAmerica brand. BetAmerica is already live in neighboring New Jersey and looks to take the leap into the Pennsylvania market as early as summer 2019.

In New Jersey, we have seen some very generous free bet and deposit bonuses offered as a way for customers to try online sportsbooks with minimal risk. We expect it to be no different in Pennsylvania as online sportsbooks and sports betting apps start to go live.

No-deposit bonuses are a great option for bettors who are interested in placing a few bets, but are not quite ready to pull out their credit card. No-deposit bonuses have ranged from $10-$25 just for signing up. Almost every sportsbook in New Jersey offers a deposit bonus ranging from $50 through $500. This means that if you were to deposit $100, the sportsbook will give you an additional $100 to play with. We except to see large deposit bonuses and promotions for Pennsylvania online sportsbooks as operators like BetAmerica will be jockeying for position.

History of Churchill Downs Incorporated

Churchill Downs began as a single racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, founded in 1875 by Meriweather Lewis Clark as a plan for the Louisville Jockey Club to organize races and show off the Kentucky breeding industry. Formally opened on May 17th, 1875, the featured race of the day was named the Kentucky Derby. Later joining with other tracks in Kentucky, they formed the Kentucky Jockey Club, which then became the American Turf Association in 1928. Initially the holding company for six other tracks, by 1937, only three tracks remained as part of the group.

Churchill Downs joined Latonia Race Track in northern Kentucky in 1937, but five years later the company went out on its own, changing the name to Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI).

Fast forward to the early 1990s when simulcast racing changed the entire horse racing industry. Throughout the nineties, CDI expanded its business by purchasing several racetracks throughout the country including Ellis Park Racecourse in Henderson, KY, Hollywood Park in Los Angeles, CA and Arlington Park in the suburbs of Chicago.

In 2005, CDI sold Hollywood Park and Ellis Park  and focused its efforts on the recently purchased and upgraded Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, LA. The racino was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina and was closed down for over a year. When Fair Grounds reopened, not only was there horse racing, but CDI had added a gaming facility featuring slots and table games.

CDI has continued its expansion into the the casino gaming industry by acquiring several new casinos including Calder Casino in Miami, FL, Harlows Casino Resort in Refuge, MS and Oxford Casino in Oxford, ME.

Presque Isle Casino

CDI has not been quiet about its intentions to expand into sports betting following United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn PASPA, a 25 year old law that essentially banned sports betting in the US, except in Nevada. CDI wasted no time in announcing the finalization of its acquisition of Presque Isle Casino in Erie, Pennsylvania just days after PASPA was overturned.

Presque Isle Casino is home to 1600 slots, 32 table games, a poker room and a thoroughbred racetrack that runs 100 days a year. CEO Bill Carstanjen openly admits that the expansion into the Pennsylvania casino market was largely due to the potential of expanding into online gaming and sports betting. CDI decided to skip out on online poker, putting up the $8 million application fee for slots and table games, rather than the $10 million comprehensive package.

Sports Betting Partnerships

CDI owns its own horseracing wagering mobile app called TwinSpires.com where they accept bets on races from people are physically located in states where CDI owns casinos. In May 2018, CDI announced a partnership with SBTech, a company who specializes in online sports betting technology and operates in 13 regulated markets throughout the world. SBTech is known to be a market leader of in-game wagering.

CDI also announced a deal with Golden Nugget in New Jersey, where it offers online sports betting via BetAmerica through Golden Nugget’s sports betting license, powered by SBTech’s software. This partnership will help CDI realize its goal to be in every major sports betting market in the US as more and more states continue to pass laws legalizing sports betting.

Land Based Sportsbook

Presque Isle was conditionally approved for a sports betting license in Pennsylvania in February 2019. Presque Isle will offer both their online and retail sportsbooks through CDIs BetAmerica brand.  Two of CDI casinos in Mississippi – Harlow Casino and Riverwalk Casino – launched sportsbooks in August 2018, and offer wagering through self-serve kiosks in a dedicated section of the casino.

The kiosks are powered by SBtech and offer a full range of betting options from moneyline bets, totals, futures, and the ever popular in-game betting. In-game sports betting allows bettors to place bets on every pitch, down and point while the action unfolds. In-game betting is limited due to not being on a mobile device, but plans are in motion to launch online betting.

Based on CDI’s sports betting setup in its Mississippi casinos, we should expect a similar plan for the Presque Isle casino location in Pennsylvania, but with a few extras. The self serve kiosks will be in addition to up to seven betting windows. Plans are in place to have plenty of flat screen televisions with 100s of channels to catch all the sports action.